KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A new 10-day polio vaccination campaign will begin across Afghanistan on Saturday, the Polio Free Afghanistan initiative said, as the country continues to report new cases and remains one of the world’s last two polio-endemic nations.
The initiative said in a post on X on Friday that children will receive oral polio vaccine alongside immunizations against measles, pneumococcal disease, rotavirus and other childhood illnesses, including the pentavalent vaccine, during the campaign.
The initiative did not provide further details on the locations where the campaign will be conducted or the number of children it aims to reach.
The campaign comes as Afghanistan continues to report new cases of wild poliovirus. Earlier this month, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed four new infections, two in Nangarhar, one in Helmand and one in Herat, bringing the total number of cases reported this year to at least 11.
Afghanistan reported nine human cases of wild poliovirus and 94 positive environmental samples in 2025, highlighting the continued circulation of the virus despite ongoing eradication efforts.
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that primarily affects children under the age of five. It spreads through contaminated food, water or close contact and can cause irreversible paralysis and, in some cases, death. While there is no cure, vaccination provides effective protection against the disease.
Global vaccination campaigns have reduced wild poliovirus cases by more than 99% since 1988. However, transmission persists in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, the only countries where the virus remains endemic.
Polio vaccination efforts in both countries have been hindered by insecurity, difficult terrain and misinformation that has fueled resistance to immunization in some communities.
The World Health Organization says maintaining high vaccination coverage, conducting uninterrupted immunization campaigns and reaching every child are critical to eliminating polio in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
