Nationwide anti-polio vaccination campaign kicks off

Nationwide anti-polio vaccination campaign kicks off

KABUL (Pajhwok): A four-day anti-polio vaccination campaign targeting 9.9 million children under five year age across Afghanistan kicked off on Monday, the Public Health Ministry said.

The Public Health Ministry in a statement said the campaign was launched in cooperation with international and relevant institutions.

This is the eighth round of the nationwide polio eradication campaign in Afghanistan during the current year, the source said.

The ministry said polio vaccination has been effective in controlling the crippling disease and Afghanistan was much closer to complete elimination of poliovirus. However, two positive polio cases surfaced in Paktika and Kunar provinces last year.

A BBC report quoting United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that four positive cases were reported in Afghanistan in 2012 while the number of positive cases in 2020 was 56.

Public Health Minister Dr. Qalandar Ebad said: “Since the political change in the country, polio eradication has been one of the largest and crucial public health programs. Significant progress has been made in the field of polio eradication, the access of health workers to all areas of the country has improved, and there has been a noticeable reduction in polio cases compared to previous years."

Ebad said complete eradication of poliovirus still needed efforts of the public, elders and workers of health sector to vaccinate children.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only countries in the world where polio remains endemic.

aw/ma