The nationwide anti-polio vaccination campaign is set to begin tomorrow (Monday, April 21) across Afghanistan.
Officials from the Ministry of Public Health said that 11.6 million children under the age of five will receive two drops of the oral polio vaccine during this campaign.
They add that, in addition to the polio vaccine, each child will also be given two drops of Vitamin A.
Aminullah Sharif, Director of Public Health in Nangarhar, said: “In the entire eastern zone, approximately 1.4 million children will receive two drops of the oral polio vaccine.”
Hukum Khan Gulabzoi, Head of the Eastern Zone’s Mass Immunization Program, stated: “This campaign will last four days, and along with the polio vaccine, Vitamin A will also be administered.”
Abdul Hadi Hadi, Deputy Director of Public Health in Paktia, noted: “In the southeastern zone, around 1.3 million children under five will receive the polio vaccine.”
Meanwhile, a number of citizens are urging families to ensure their children receive the vaccine in order to achieve a polio-free Afghanistan.
Nasir Khan, a resident of Nangarhar, said: “This vaccine is administered door-to-door, including from mosque to mosque for children under five. Therefore, religious scholars and tribal elders should support the vaccination teams.”
Noorurrahman, a resident of Paktia, stated: “People must bring their children for vaccination. Every child must receive the polio vaccine.”
The provinces of Nangarhar, Kunar, Laghman, Nuristan, Kandahar, and Helmand are among those where the campaign will last four days. In the rest of the provinces, it will continue for one day only.