Kerman University of Medical Sciences hosted a 3-day regional workshop on vaccination and vaccine-preventable diseases. Between 10 and 12 October 2025, the event gathered Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) officers and managers from 34 medical universities, the majority from eastern and southeastern Iran, to bolster national immunization capacities.

The workshop received technical support from the WHO Country Office in the Islamic Republic of Iran and financial backing from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The training focused on strengthening immunization planning, providing updates to national guidelines, enhancing cold chain management, improving surveillance of adverse events following immunization and fostering effective community engagement.

High-level officials from the Ministry of Health and Medical Education (MOHME) addressed key priorities. Dr Ghobad Moradi, Director of the Centre for Communicable Diseases Control, emphasized vaccination's critical public health role and addressed cutting-edge topics, including the targeted use of artificial intelligence in immunization programmes and strategies to boost coverage among migrant populations.

Dr Mohsen Zahraei, National EPI Manager at MOHME, reviewed 50 years of EPI achievements in the Islamic Republic of Iran and outlined future plans, including "supplying influenza vaccines to key groups, organizing national and regional meetings and advancing measles elimination, polio eradication and central cold storage expansion".