Polio Vaccination Campaign Launched in Three Eastern Afghan Provinces
The ‘Polio-Free Afghanistan’ initiative has announced the launch of a new round of polio vaccination campaigns starting Saturday, October 17, across three eastern provinces of the country.
According to information released by the organization, the campaign is being implemented across all districts of Kunar province, as well as in selected districts of Nuristan and Laghman provinces. The aim is to protect children against the deadly poliovirus through the administration of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) injections and oral polio vaccine (OPV) drops.
Health workers have expressed growing concern over the continued presence of polio in parts of Afghanistan. According to official data from the World Health Organization, two positive polio cases have been reported in the country so far this year. Additionally, 18 environmental samples containing the virus have been detected in various regions.
Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only two countries in the world where polio has not yet been completely eradicated. Delays in vaccine implementation, partly caused by restrictions imposed by the Taliban administration, are cited as a key challenge in the fight to eliminate the disease in Afghanistan.
