Afghanistan launches nationwide polio vaccination campaign

Door-to-door campaign aims to eradicate polio through vaccine and Vitamin A drops, with support from religious leaders and communities

KABUL, Afghanistan (MNTV) — Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health has launched the country’s first national polio eradication campaign of 2025, aiming to immunize over 11.6 million children under the age of five, officials said on Monday.

The three-day campaign, which runs from April 21 to 23, is being implemented across most of the country. In five eastern and southern provinces — Nangarhar, Kunar, Laghman, Nuristan, Helmand — as well as Kandahar city, the campaign will extend through April 24, health officials confirmed.

Each child will receive two drops of the oral polio vaccine, along with two drops of Vitamin A to boost immunity.

“This campaign is part of our ongoing commitment to eliminate polio from Afghanistan,” said Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali, the Taliban-appointed Minister of Public Health. 

“We will continue vaccination drives and complementary health services until this disease is completely eradicated.”

The Ministry urged religious scholars, community elders, and parents across the country to support vaccination teams, which are conducting door-to-door outreach, including in mosques and remote areas. 

“Everyone must play their part in protecting the health and future of our children,” Jalali added.

Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that primarily affects children. It has no cure and can only be prevented through vaccination. 

The virus can lead to permanent paralysis or death, and transmission remains ongoing in Afghanistan.

In the eastern zone alone, approximately 1.4 million children are expected to be vaccinated, according to Aminullah Sharif, director of public health in Nangarhar.

Hukum Khan Gulabzoi, head of the eastern zone’s mass immunization program, confirmed the region’s campaign will last four days and include both the polio vaccine and Vitamin A drops, TOLOnews reports. 

In the southeastern region, around 1.3 million children will be vaccinated, said Abdul Hadi Hadi, deputy director of public Health in Paktia.

Local residents have voiced support for the campaign, calling on families to ensure their children are vaccinated. 

“This vaccine is delivered door-to-door, even through mosques,” said Nasir Khan, a resident of Nangarhar. 

“Religious scholars and tribal elders should support the vaccination teams.”

Noorurrahman, a resident of Paktia, added: “People must bring their children forward. Every child must receive the polio vaccine.”

Afghanistan remains one of the last two countries in the world where wild poliovirus is still endemic, alongside Pakistan. 

Global health agencies have stressed that sustained vaccination campaigns are essential to eradicating the disease entirely.