KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Tajuddin Oyewale, the representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Afghanistan, says that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation supports routine vaccination and the eradication of polio in Afghanistan.
He wrote in a message on X today (Saturday, May 30) that he held a productive meeting with senior officials of the Gates Foundation regarding this organization’s partnership with UNICEF in Afghanistan.
Tajuddin Oyewale added that UNICEF appreciates the support of the Gates Foundation in the areas of primary healthcare, nutrition, routine vaccination, and the eradication of polio.
Afghanistan is one of the two countries where polio has not yet been eradicated.
Last year, nine positive cases of polio were recorded in Afghanistan.
In continuation of ongoing efforts to eliminate polio in Afghanistan, a new nationwide vaccination campaign was launched across 20 provinces as part of the country’s 2026 immunization strategy.
According to the “Polio Free Afghanistan” initiative, the four-day drive aims to vaccinate approximately 8.3 million children under the age of five in 194 districts. In addition, a separate round of vaccinations is planned in southern provinces, where the risk of transmission remains highest.
Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan are the only nations where wild poliovirus continues to circulate despite global eradication initiatives spanning decades. Health authorities in both countries continue to grapple with insecurity in certain areas, persistent misinformation about vaccines, and community resistance, especially in border regions.
At least three cases of wild poliovirus have been confirmed in Afghanistan so far in 2026, all in the southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand. Last year, the country recorded nine cases, mostly in eastern and southern regions bordering Pakistan.
Pakistan simultaneously launched a sub-national polio vaccination campaign on Monday, targeting around 19 million children across 79 districts, according to the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme. The country has reported three polio cases this year and recorded 31 cases in 2025, primarily in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, which border Afghanistan.
WHO and Health officials continue to emphasize that cross-border movement, insecurity in remote areas, and misinformation about vaccines remain key obstacles to eradication efforts. They say coordinated campaigns are critical to preventing further spread of the virus.
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that mainly affects young children and can cause permanent paralysis or even death. It spreads through contaminated food, water, or close contact, and there is no cure, but it can be prevented through vaccination. In Afghanistan, polio remains a serious public health challenge, especially in remote and conflict-affected areas where access to healthcare services is limited.
Ongoing insecurity, difficulties reaching all communities, and occasional misinformation about vaccines have made eradication efforts more difficult. As a result, children in some provinces remain at risk, even though repeated vaccination campaigns by health workers and international organizations continue across the country to eliminate the disease.
