Nationwide Polio Vaccination Campaign to Launch Across Afghanistan on September 21

The Polio Free Afghanistan initiative has announced a new nationwide polio vaccination campaign set to begin on September 21, urging families across the country to immunize children under five against the highly infectious disease. Health authorities and international partners have emphasized the campaign’s critical importance, as Afghanistan remains one of only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus is still endemic.

According to an announcement published on X, the campaign will commence across all provinces of Afghanistan, with vaccination teams in the southern region scheduled to begin operations one day later. The programme will administer oral polio vaccines to eligible children, aiming to strengthen immunity and prevent further transmission of the virus.

The launch comes amid growing concerns about continued virus transmission in eastern Afghanistan, where health officials in Nangarhar province recently confirmed five new polio cases this year. In response to additional detections of wild poliovirus, earlier targeted vaccination drives were conducted in high-risk districts of Nangarhar to contain the outbreak.

The World Health Organization’s latest assessment identifies Afghanistan and Pakistan as the only two countries still experiencing ongoing transmission of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1). WHO reported that Afghanistan recorded 14 new polio cases during the latest reporting period, most linked to transmission in the country’s southern and eastern regions. However, the overall trajectory of cases and environmental detections has declined compared with previous years, offering a measure of cautious optimism.

Despite this progress, international health agencies have repeatedly warned that vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan continue to face significant operational challenges. WHO noted that the suspension of house-to-house vaccination campaigns in many areas has reduced the programme’s ability to reach every child, particularly in parts of southern Afghanistan where virus transmission remains concentrated. UNICEF has also raised concerns that population movement, limited healthcare access, and gaps in routine immunization continue to leave children vulnerable to infection.

The Polio-Free Afghanistan initiative stressed that the vaccine is safe, effective, and the only proven way to protect children from lifelong paralysis caused by poliovirus. It urged parents to ensure their children receive the vaccine during every campaign, even if they have been vaccinated previously, to strengthen immunity and help eliminate the disease.

Despite decades of global eradication efforts, Afghanistan continues to report sporadic polio cases, making nationwide vaccination campaigns a key component of the country’s public health strategy to interrupt transmission and prevent further outbreaks. Health officials and international partners remain committed to overcoming operational hurdles and reaching every child with life-saving vaccines.

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