Ethiopia's Big Catch-Up vaccinates 958,725 zero-dose children, a quarter of the 3.9 million estimated
17 October 2026
The World Health Organization's Regional Office for Africa reported on Ethiopia's re-ignited Big Catch-Up immunisation initiative.
As of 8 April 2025, the programme had vaccinated 958,725 zero-dose children, which is 24 per cent of the estimated 3.9 million such children nationwide.
Coverage rose from 16 per cent in December 2024, with nearly 100,000 children vaccinated in the previous two months.
The monthly reporting rate rose from 60 per cent in Tir to 95 per cent in Yekatit, the Ethiopian calendar months running from January to March 2025.
The Big Catch-Up campaign officially launched on 24 June 2024 and was re-ignited on 22 February 2025, after an intra-action review in October 2024. Ethiopia's Ministry of Health had introduced a catch-up policy in 2022.
GAVI supported zero-dose projects in 30 woredas in Tigray and Amhara, and integrated measles campaigns ran in 38 drought-affected districts in the Somali, Oromia and South Ethiopia regions, funded through the Central Emergency Response Fund.
Dr Dereje Duguma, State Minister of Health, and Dr Owen L. Kaluwa, WHO Representative in Ethiopia, spoke for the two sides.
In plain words
Zero-dose child Zero-dose child — A child who has received no dose of the basic childhood vaccines.
GAVI Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance — A global partnership that funds vaccines for low income countries.