Tehran – National experts and international partners taking part in consultative workshops have investigated the potential to promote national vaccination programs.
The two-day workshop to develop Iran’s national vaccination strategy plan was held at the National Institute of Health (NIHR) from June 9th to 10th, 2025.
The consulting workshop provided stakeholders with a platform to review and update national vaccination strategies, identify challenges and discuss ways to improve vaccine coverage across the country, the Who website announced in a press release on June 30th.
Participants included representatives from the Ministry of Health and Medicine, University of Medical Sciences, Iranian Food and Drug Organization, Pasteur Iran Institute, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The director of Communiabuly Diseases at Omid Zamani, WHO country office in Iran, shared insights drawn from successful global vaccination experiences, working with the targets of the Immunization Agenda 2030 to highlight the importance of adapting international best practices to Iran’s context and local health infrastructure.
Focusing on national ownership and local adaptation will help ensure that the resulting strategic plan is evidence-based, practical, sustainable and can be implemented effectively within the country.
The workshop also heard from the head of NIHR Ali Akbari Sari, head of NIHR, Ali Akbari Sari, Ali Akbari Sari, who highlighted the role of scientific support for the institute, and national leaders including the essential programme of vaccination managers at the Ministry of Health, Medical and Education.
Participants engaged in special group discussions to delve into goals, implementation strategies, and key metrics. The results of these joint sessions form the basis for the final version of the National Vaccination Strategic Plan. Once confirmed, the plan will be submitted to the relevant authorities for approval.
Another focus of the workshop was to establish effective monitoring and assessment mechanisms to track progress and impact.
The WHO participation underscores its commitment to supporting Iran’s Islamic Republic by leveraging its global knowledge of national health priorities. A dedicated partner of the Ministry of Health, Medical and Education, we provide technical guidance and support to strengthen critical health services, including robust and equitable immunization programs that protect our population from preventable diseases of vaccines.
The workshop was supported by a grant from Gavi, a vaccine alliance.
Recent vaccination programs
On May 6, the Ministry of Health began distributing domestically produced five vaccines across the country, according to the head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The Pentavalent vaccine is a combination vaccine with five individual vaccines combined into one. Protects infants from Diphtheria, Tetanus, WHOPING COUGH, Hepatitis B, and Haemophilus Influenzae B.
“The distribution of the first shipments of locally made five-inch combined vaccines will officially begin nationwide tomorrow and Tuesday,” Irna quoted Mehdi Pirsalehi as saying.
“Around 800,000 vaccines have been developed so far, and this number is expected to reach 1.2 million in the next two to three days,” he said.
In line with the winter-kicked-off polio eradication campaign, roughly 300,000 children under the age of five are vaccinated in two stages in high-risk regions in the northern half of the spring country, according to the Ministry of Health.
In the current year of Iran, which began on March 20th, the first phase will be held from April 12th to 14th, and the second phase will be held from June 17th to 19th, the Ministry of Health reported.
The Polio Eradication campaign is one of the amazing results of the Ministry of Health.
However, endemic transmission of wild polioviruses remains common in two Iranian neighbours, namely Afghanistan and Pakistan. In 2024, the number of poliovirus positive tests in the wild in Afghanistan and Pakistan increased four and 12 times, respectively, compared to 2023.
In the past Iranian calendar year, which ended on March 20th, the annual door-to-door polio vaccination campaign was held in two stages to prevent the outbreak of disease in the country.
The first phase was held from January 4th to 6th, and the second phase began on February 15th and ended on February 17th. During the campaign, approximately 840,000 Iranian and foreign children under the age of five were immunized by the medical colleges of Cistan Balchestan, Kelman, Faazu, Hormozgan, Bushel, Yazdded Cistan Balchestan, Hormozgan and Hormozgan.