Afghanistan has launched a nationwide polio vaccination campaign targeting approximately 12.8 million children under the age of five in an effort to protect young children from the highly infectious poliovirus. The campaign began on November 2, 2026, under the supervision of the country’s Ministry of Public Health in coordination with international health partners. The four-day vaccination drive will continue until November 5 across most parts of the country.
According to the Ministry of Public Health, vaccination teams will visit designated areas to administer polio vaccine drops to eligible children. Special arrangements have also been made for regions following different vaccination schedules. In the southern zone, the campaign will take place from November 3 to November 6, while children in Logar Province will receive vaccinations between November 9 and November 13.
In addition to polio vaccination, health teams will distribute albendazole tablets to children in the southern, southeastern, western and eastern regions. These tablets are used to prevent intestinal worm infections, which can negatively affect children’s nutrition, physical development and overall health. The combined health initiative aims to provide additional protection to children while strengthening preventive healthcare services in vulnerable communities.
Afghanistan’s Public Health Minister, Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali, has urged parents, religious scholars, tribal elders and community leaders to support vaccination teams and encourage families to ensure that every eligible child receives the vaccine. Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan remain the only two countries where wild poliovirus transmission has not been eliminated. Health authorities continue to emphasise that repeated vaccination campaigns and public cooperation are essential to protecting children from permanent paralysis and moving closer to polio eradication.
