Kabul, Dec 23 (EFE).- Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health on Monday began a new round of polio vaccination campaign, aiming to immunize around 4.8 million children under the age of five.
The fifth and final round of the 2024 vaccination campaign will run from Monday to Wednesday across 11 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, the ministry said in a statement.
«The Ministry of Public Health is committed, in collaboration with its partners, to eradicating the wild poliovirus in Afghanistan,» Public Health Minister Mawlawi Noor Jalal said.
He emphasized the ministry’s efforts to conduct vaccination drives and provide complementary health services to achieve a polio-free Afghanistan.
«We call on religious scholars, elders, parents, and other influential members of the society to support vaccinators in their areas, so they can contribute to the fight against polio and protect the health of their children,» the minister added.
Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where polio remains endemic, with cross-border movements contributing to virus transmission.
Pakistan has reported at least 59 polio cases this year, making 2024 a particularly challenging year in its battle against the disease.
Before the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, polio vaccination campaigns were frequently disrupted by conflict and restrictions imposed by the group in areas under their control.
Since then, however, the campaigns have gained momentum, with expanded access to previously inaccessible regions.
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease with no cure. It can cause permanent paralysis or even death in children who contract it. EFE
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