KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A new polio vaccination campaign has begun in eastern Afghanistan as part of efforts to eradicate the virus in one of the last two countries where it remains endemic.
Polio Free Afghanistan, an initiative dedicated to eliminating the disease, announced that the campaign started on Saturday across Kunar, Laghman, and Nuristan provinces, urging families to vaccinate children under five to prevent permanent paralysis.
No information has been provided yet on the campaign’s duration or the number of children expected to be reached. A similar drive took place in the region two months ago.
Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only countries where polio persists. Vaccination efforts face challenges, including misinformation, resistance from some communities, and restrictions imposed by the Taliban on female health workers, who are crucial for reaching households in conservative areas.
Afghanistan has recorded two confirmed polio cases this year, involving a five-year-old girl in Badghis province and a child in Helmand province. In 2024, the country reported 25 cases, mostly in Kandahar and Helmand. Pakistan has recorded 29 wild polio cases this year, mainly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan.
In addition to human cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified 18 positive environmental samples of the poliovirus across Afghanistan so far this year. These include eight in Kandahar, six in Helmand, and one each in Kabul, Laghman, Nangarhar, and Zabul provinces.
