The Taliban-run Ministry of Public Health has announced the launch of a polio vaccination campaign in 18 provinces across the country.
Sharaf Zaman Amarkhail, the ministry’s spokesperson, said on Monday, February 2, that the campaign has begun in the provinces of Kabul, Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar, Nuristan, Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Ghazni, Badghis, Herat, Kunduz, Faryab, Balkh, Zabul, Uruzgan, Helmand, and Kandahar.
According to Sharaf Zaman, 7.3 million children under the age of five are expected to be vaccinated.
The organization Afghanistan Polio-Free has also announced the start of the campaign.
The campaign is being carried out in cooperation with international organizations.
According to a report by the World Health Organization, two positive cases of polio were recorded in 2025 in the provinces of Badghis and Helmand.
Polio has not yet been completely eradicated in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
