12 Million Children Vaccinated Against Polio in Afghanistan, Coverage Reaches 98%
The UNICEF official in Afghanistan announced that in the past year, 12 million children across the country have been vaccinated against polio, achieving a coverage rate of 98%.
Tajuddin Iwali stated on Saturday, the 25th of April, that this accomplishment resulted from the cooperation of health institutions and extensive vaccination campaigns. He also mentioned that more than 16 million people have received vaccinations against measles.
According to this report, during the same period, 1.6 million doses of the pentavalent (Penta-3) vaccine were administered; this vaccine is used to prevent several serious diseases in children.
Meanwhile, the Taliban-led Ministry of Public Health, in collaboration with international organizations, has launched the first round of the polio vaccination campaign for 2026 across all provinces. Despite these efforts, Afghanistan, along with Pakistan, remains one of the countries where the polio virus has not been completely eradicated. This situation calls for unrestricted access for health teams to all areas and the building of trust within local communities.
