A new round of polio vaccination campaign began Monday in 11 provinces, including Kabul, with the aim to cover at least 4.8 million children under the age of five, the Taliban-run public health ministry said.
Other provinces include Kandahar, Helmand, Uruzgan, Zabul, Nangarhar, Kunar, Laghman, Nuristan, Herat and Kunduz.
Afghanistan remains one of only two countries in the world where polio remains endemic, with Pakistan also grappling with the disease.
According to the UN and the Taliban-run Ministry of Public Health, 23 cases of polio have been reported in Afghanistan this year as of October, compared to just two cases in 2021.
Concerns about vaccination efforts were heightened earlier this year when the Taliban halted house-to-house polio campaigns in southern provinces, including Helmand and Kandahar, according to sources.
Data from the World Health Organization reveals that 71 cases of polio have been recorded globally this year, with Afghanistan accounting for 23 and Pakistan reporting 50.
