The Ministry of Public Health has invited representatives from several ministries to coordinate efforts to eradicate polio and aims to accelerate vaccination campaigns based on this coordination.
The Health Minister is pushing for faster action because, according to him, children in some remote areas of certain provinces still do not receive polio drops.
In addition to inter-ministerial coordination, the minister is calling on all government employees, community leaders, and religious scholars to assist in the fight against polio.
Health Minister Noor Jalal Jalali said:
“Despite our successes, we still face challenges. The continued human polio cases in the southern and southeastern regions, particularly Kandahar, Helmand, and Paktika, remind us that there are still children without access to full vaccination.”
Jalali did not specify why some children lack access to the vaccine but acknowledged that certain individuals in remote areas continue to spread misinformation about vaccination campaigns.
He emphasized the vital role of international organizations in eradicating polio and stressed that, through joint efforts, polio should be reduced to zero.
The minister added:
“There are cases where families, due to various reasons, do not bring their children to vaccination sites. In some schools and madrassas, teams are limited, and some religious leaders oppose vaccination. Occasionally, village elders and influential people also do not support polio immunization.”
According to the Ministry of Public Health, polio cases in eastern provinces have reached zero, but in Kandahar, Helmand, and Paktika, children remain at risk of contracting the virus.
