Nearly 9 Million Children Vaccinated in First Phase of Measles Campaign in Afghanistan
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, in collaboration with Afghanistan’s National Vaccination Development Program and supported by the Global Vaccine Alliance, have successfully completed the first phase of a nationwide measles vaccination campaign. In this phase, approximately 8.9 million children aged six months to ten years were vaccinated across 17 cold-climate provinces of the country.
Measles is a highly contagious and dangerous disease, particularly among children, and is a leading cause of preventable deaths through vaccination. In a country like Afghanistan, where children’s access to primary health services is limited and many suffer from malnutrition, measles can cause serious health complications such as pneumonia, blindness, and even death.
Statistics show that in 2024, more than 9,300 measles cases were reported, with an additional 8,500 cases recorded by August 2025. The incidence of the disease has also increased, rising from 127 cases in 2023 to 430 cases in 2024. Nearly 92 percent of those affected were children under ten years old. Before the start of the nationwide campaign, only 55 percent of children had received the first dose of the measles vaccine, and just 44 percent had access to the second dose. This undercoverage created conditions conducive to the spread of the disease.
While the Taliban government holds primary responsibility for providing health services, its poor performance in vaccine implementation and equitable access to health services has been a main factor contributing to the measles outbreak in recent years. This failure has not only endangered the lives of Afghan children but also undermined the credibility of the country’s health system.
Representatives of WHO and UNICEF have emphasized that the first phase of this campaign represents an important step toward protecting children. However, greater efforts are needed to ensure full coverage and prevent future outbreaks. They stated that the risk of measles will remain until the last child in the most remote villages is vaccinated.
The nationwide measles vaccination campaign is planned in two phases, aiming to achieve at least 95 percent coverage among children aged six months to ten years, identify children missed in previous rounds, and strengthen routine vaccination for sustained protection.
With the conclusion of the first phase, international organizations, in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Health and other domestic health bodies, are preparing to launch the second phase of the campaign to ensure that no child is left without access to this vaccine.
