Ministry launches polio vaccination campaign

KABUL (Agencies): Ministry of Public Health, in collaboration with UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a nationwide polio vaccination campaign.
The Ministry of Public Health said in a newsletter that 9.1 million children will be vaccinated against polio.
The ministry said that due to the cold weather; Bamyan, Daikundi, Ghor and many districts of Ghazni and Badakhshan provinces are not included in the vaccination program and in the next stage, the mentioned provinces and districts will be covered.
Acting Minister of Public Health Dr. Qalandar Ebad said that with the improvement of the security situation, the ground has been paved for the implementation of vaccination programs and the provision of health services throughout the country. He called on health workers to do more to eradicate polio in Afghanistan.
The Ministry of Public Health has said that Afghanistan is closer to eradicating polio than ever before and that everyone needs to work together to successfully implement the polio vaccination campaign.
According to the Ministry of Public Health, a positive polio case was registered in Paktika province this year, the genetic origin of the virus being related to the positive polio cases in Quetta, Pakistan.
Polio is a viral disease that is incurable and can only be prevented by vaccine.