Afghanistan launches nationwide polio vaccination targeting 12.7 mln children

A health worker gives a dose of polio vaccine to a child during a polio vaccination campaign in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 21, 2026. Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health on Monday launched a nationwide polio vaccination campaign aimed at immunizing more than 12.7 million children under the age of five against the poliovirus. (Photo: Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

KABUL, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health on Monday launched a nationwide polio vaccination campaign aimed at immunizing more than 12.7 million children under the age of five against the poliovirus.

The drive, scheduled to run from Monday through Thursday and extending to Friday in southern provinces, will administer doses of the oral polio vaccine as part of ongoing efforts to eradicate the debilitating disease, the ministry said in a statement.

Ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman Amarkhil urged tribal elders, religious scholars and parents to fully cooperate with health workers to ensure the campaign's success.

According to a World Health Organization report, Afghanistan had recorded 25 confirmed cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) as of Sept. 13.