New Polio Vaccination Campaign Launched in Kunar and Nuristan Provinces
The Afghanistan Free of Polio initiative announced that a new polio vaccination campaign will begin on Saturday in Kunar province and five districts of Nuristan province. According to the announcement, eligible children in this round will receive both injectable and oral polio vaccines simultaneously.
The organization has urged families to cooperate with health teams and facilitate access to vaccination for their children. Officials emphasized that administering both types of vaccines at the same time can increase children’s immunity levels against the polio virus.
Earlier, the Taliban administration, through the Public Health Directorate, announced in late Hamal (early April) the launch of a nationwide polio vaccination campaign in cooperation with international organizations. According to this administration, approximately 12 million children under five years old across the country are expected to be covered under this program.
Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only two countries in the world where the polio virus has not been completely eradicated. Official statistics show that last year, nine cases of polio-induced paralysis were recorded in Afghanistan and 30 cases in Pakistan. Additionally, three positive polio cases have been identified so far in 2026 in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand.
Polio is a contagious viral disease that primarily affects children under five years old and can cause permanent paralysis in severe cases. Health organizations consistently stress that sustained and widespread vaccination coverage is the only way to prevent the spread of this virus in different regions of the country.
