The Ministry of Public Health has launched a nationwide polio vaccination campaign aiming to immunize 11.6 million children under the age of five.
Alongside the oral polio vaccine, each child will also receive Vitamin A drops, officials said.
In eastern Afghanistan, approximately 1.4 million children will be vaccinated, according to Aminullah Sharif, Director of Public Health in Nangarhar.
Hukum Khan Gulabzoi, who heads the Mass Immunization Program in the Eastern Zone, said the campaign will continue for four days in most eastern provinces.
In the southeastern zone, including provinces like Paktia, around 1.3 million children will be covered, confirmed Abdul Hadi Hadi, Deputy Director of Public Health in Paktia.
Residents are being encouraged to support the campaign.
Nasir Khan, a local from Nangarhar, emphasized the importance of community involvement:
“The vaccine is delivered door-to-door and even through mosques. Religious leaders and elders must support the teams.”
Noorurrahman from Paktia added:
“Every parent must ensure their child gets vaccinated. This is the only way to eliminate polio.”
The campaign will run for four days in provinces such as Nangarhar, Kunar, Laghman, Nuristan, Kandahar, and Helmand, while in other areas, it will last one day only.