Kamal Shah, UNICEF’s spokesperson for Afghanistan, told Salam Watandar that in this round, more than one million children under the age of five will be vaccinated against polio. “In the current year, nine local cases have been recorded and this shows the existence of the polio virus in these areas. For this reason, we have started a house-to-house campaign to deliver anti-polio vaccines in the eastern provinces and it will continue until Thursday”.
A number of families have welcomed the implementation of the polio vaccine, saying that its implementation will save their children from paralysis.
Abdullah, a resident of Laghman, said: “The employees of the anti-polio vaccination department came to our homes and vaccinated our children to save them from polio.”
Amanullah, a resident of Kunar, said: “The anti-polio vaccination campaign has started in our province and our children have been vaccinated. I ask families to vaccinate their children.”
Local religious scholars have asked families to ensure anti-polio vaccines to their children in order to avoid the risk of paralysis.
Mukhtar Mohammad Osmani, a religious scholar, said: “The anti-polio vaccine is effective for children, families should ensure this vaccine for their children.”
Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only countries where polio has not been completely eradicated.
It should be mentioned that in 2022, only two cases of polio were recorded in the country, one in Paktika and the other in Kunar province.
