Photo: WHO

Taliban Resumes Polio Vaccination Drive Across 16 Provinces After Months of Suspension

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – After months of suspension, the Taliban’s Ministry of Public Health has launched a polio vaccination campaign in 16 provinces across Afghanistan. The campaign, which began today, October 28, will run for three days.

Sharafat Zaman Amarkhel, the ministry’s spokesperson, confirmed the campaign’s start in a video shared on X (formerly Twitter). Approximately 6.2 million children under the age of five are expected to receive the polio vaccine during this campaign.

Although the spokesperson did not disclose which provinces are participating, local sources in Kabul, Nangarhar, and Laghman have confirmed the campaign’s initiation. A source in Kabul noted that the current vaccination effort will not involve a house-to-house approach; instead, vaccinators will be stationed at designated locations within neighborhoods to administer the vaccine.

The Taliban had suspended the polio vaccination initiative since mid-September. While officials did not officially confirm this suspension, sources among vaccinators indicated that the absence of male guardians accompanying female vaccinators contributed to the halt.

Historically, polio vaccination drives in Afghanistan have faced challenges, particularly due to restrictions on female health workers. The exclusion of women from these efforts raises concerns among health experts, who fear that entire regions could be left unprotected from the virus. Female vaccinators are crucial in reaching households in conservative areas where male workers are often barred from entry. Their sidelining is expected to increase the vulnerability of large segments of the population, particularly children, to new outbreaks.

Currently, Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only countries in the world where polio has not been eradicated. The World Health Organization reports that 22 positive polio cases have been recorded in Afghanistan this year, although the Taliban’s health spokesperson has denied these figures in today’s video.

Earlier reports indicated that only 12 positive polio cases had been registered in Kandahar this year, with additional cases reported in Urozgan, Helmand, Kunar, and Nuristan. Last year, six positive cases of polio were documented in Afghanistan, all in Nangarhar province in the eastern part of the country.