New Polio Vaccination Campaign Launched Across 17 Afghan Provinces

The ‘Polio-Free Afghanistan’ initiative has announced the launch of a new round of polio vaccination starting Monday, November 23, across 17 provinces of the country.

This health campaign will cover the provinces of Kabul, Balkh, Kunduz, Herat, Nuristan, Kunar, Laghman, Khost, Paktia, Paktika, Ghazni, Zabul, Uruzgan, Kandahar, Helmand, and Farah. However, the number of children expected to be vaccinated during this campaign has yet to be determined.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), two positive cases of polio have been recorded in Afghanistan so far this year—one in Badghis province in the west and another in Helmand in the south. These figures indicate that polio has not yet been fully eradicated in the country.

While vaccination programs are considered vital to protecting children from this crippling disease, restrictions imposed by the Taliban administration have hindered access for health teams to certain areas, thereby limiting the reach and effectiveness of such campaigns.

Health experts have repeatedly warned that inconsistent vaccination efforts and constraints on health-related activities could pave the way for a wider resurgence of the disease. They argue that the Taliban administration bears direct responsibility for these obstacles, which are seen as impediments to life-saving public health programs.