Polio Vaccination Drive Begins in Eastern Afghanistan

A four-day polio vaccination campaign has begun in the eastern provinces of Afghanistan.

Health officials have announced that during this campaign, more than 1.3 million children under the age of five will be vaccinated.

“During the campaign, 914,000 children across all districts of Nangarhar will be vaccinated,” said Aminullah Sharif, head of public health in Nangarhar.

 “Our goal in Kunar is to vaccinate 208,000 children under the age of five,” said Muzaffar Mukhlis, head of public health in Kunar.

Residents consider the polio vaccine crucial in preventing childhood disabilities and urge families to fulfill their responsibility in this regard.

“Parents must vaccinate their children because vaccination is a vital necessity for children’s lives. This step will protect them from disabilities in the future,” said Aminullah, a resident of Nangarhar.

 “Public awareness about vaccination must be increased. We also urge vaccination teams to go from mosque to mosque and from madrassa to madrassa to ensure all children are vaccinated,” said Fazal Khan, another resident of Nangarhar.

This campaign has been launched following the recent confirmation of the first positive polio case of 2025 in Bala Murghab district of Badghis province.