Health

Seven-day polio vaccination campaign launches in eastern Afghanistan

Photo: Ministry of Public Health, Afghanistan. File Photo

The Taliban-run Ministry of Public Health declared the commencement of a seven-day polio vaccination campaign in the eastern provinces on Sunday.

The campaign is set to cover 42 districts in Kunar, Laghman, and Nangarhar provinces, as outlined by the ministry. Approximately 2.5 million children under the age of 10 are slated to receive vaccinations during this initiative.

Collaborating with international partners, the ministry aims to administer the polio vaccine to over 8.8 million children across various regions of the country, as per their official statement.

Notably, the last polio vaccination campaign in the same region took place in October.

The most recent case of the poliovirus was documented in Nangarhar province at the end of last month. Afghanistan has reported a total of six new polio cases this year, all originating from Nangarhar province, prompting concerns about potential virus spread to other regions.

The sixth case was reported in Khogyani district of Nangarhar province on Sept. 28.