Nationwide polio vaccination campaign to begin in Afghanistan on Monday

The Afghanistan Free of Polio organisation has announced that a new polio vaccination campaign will begin on Monday, Sept. 30, in all provinces of Afghanistan, a move taken amid continuing concerns over the reporting of positive cases of the disease in the country.

The organisation said on Wednesday, Sept. 25, on its X page that the programme will be held in the southern region one day later, on Tuesday next week. According to the organisation, the campaign will cover the whole country.

The Afghanistan Free of Polio organisation reiterated that the polio vaccine is a safe and effective way to protect children against polio. It has called on families to vaccinate their children during the campaign.

The announcement comes as public health officials of the Taliban administration in Nangarhar recently reported five positive polio cases in the province. Polio, or infant paralysis, is a viral disease that mainly affects children, and vaccination is considered one of the main ways to prevent it.