KABUL — The UN announced Thursday that nearly 9 million children aged six months to ten years were vaccinated in the first phase of a nationwide measles campaign, health officials said, covering 17 provinces across the country’s colder regions.
The drive was led by the National Expanded Programme on Immunization (NEPI) in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
Measles remains one of the most contagious and deadly diseases for children in Afghanistan, where widespread malnutrition, poverty, and limited access to healthcare have left millions at risk.
Official data show more than 9,300 cases were reported in 2024, followed by another 8,500 by August 2025. The number of outbreaks surged from 127 in 2023 to 430 in 2024, with nearly 92 percent of infections among children under the age of ten.
Before the campaign began, only 55 percent of children had received their first measles vaccine dose and 44 percent their second, leaving large immunity gaps.
“Measles is deadly but preventable, and vaccination is a lifeline for Afghanistan’s children,” said Dr. Edwin Ceniza Salvador, WHO Representative in Afghanistan.
UNICEF’s Representative, Dr. Tajudeen Oyewale, said, “No child should die from a disease we can prevent. The next step is closing immunity gaps and strengthening routine vaccination.”
The two-phase campaign aims to achieve 95 percent vaccination coverage, identify and reach children missed in previous rounds, and reinforce Afghanistan’s fragile routine immunization system. Preparations are underway for the second phase to ensure no child is left unprotected.
The campaign comes as Afghanistan’s healthcare system faces its worst crisis in decades. Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, international funding cuts and restrictions have crippled healthcare delivery. According to the United Nations, more than 23 million Afghans—over half the population—require humanitarian assistance, including around 12 million children. Over 12 million people face acute food insecurity, while malnutrition rates remain among the highest in the world.
Dozens of health facilities have shut down due to funding shortages. WHO reported that more than 200 health centers across 28 provinces were forced to close after aid suspensions, cutting off access for nearly 1.8 million people.
UNICEF says Afghanistan ranks among the top 20 countries with the highest number of unvaccinated children, with only about 16 percent of children fully immunized under routine schedules.
The collapse of donor-supported health programs, combined with growing poverty, repeated climate disasters, and restrictions on women’s work in the health sector, has pushed the system to the brink.
