Polio vaccination campaign set to roll out in five Afghan provinces amid new cases
A new polio vaccination campaign will begin Monday across parts of five Afghan provinces as health authorities step up efforts to prevent the spread of the virus following reports of new cases.
Polio-Free Afghanistan said on Sunday that the campaign will cover all of Nangarhar, seven districts of Kunar, six districts of Kabul, two districts of Herat and two districts of Farah.
The campaign aims to vaccinate children against polio and prevent further transmission of the highly infectious virus.
The campaign comes after a new polio case was reported in Tirin Kot, the capital of Uruzgan province. The World Health Organization has previously reported that 15 polio cases have been confirmed in Afghanistan since the beginning of 2026.
Polio can cause permanent paralysis, particularly among young children. Health experts say repeated vaccination remains the most effective way to protect children and prevent the virus from spreading in communities where transmission continues.
Afghanistan and Pakistan remain among the last countries where wild poliovirus transmission persists. Cross-border movement between the two countries has also made vaccination and disease surveillance particularly important.
Polio-Free Afghanistan has urged families to cooperate with vaccination teams and ensure that eligible children receive the polio vaccine to help prevent further spread of the disease.
