Kabul, 18 January 2021 – The Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan, in collaboration with UNICEF and WHO, will begin the first national polio immunization campaign of 2021 today. The 5-day campaign will aim to vaccinate over 9.9 million children under the age of 5 across the country. As efforts to eradicate polio are intensified, declining...

Volunteers in north eastern Afghanistan. Photo: Shaim Shahin/WHO Afghanistan20 December 2020 – Vaccinators tackle winter conditions and challenging contexts during Afghanistan’s last polio campaign of the year. On a wintery November day, vaccinators across Afghanistan wrapped up warm, checked that they had facemasks and hand sanitizer, and...

KABUL, Afghanistan, 24 October 2019 – As the world commemorates World Polio Day, the Ministry of Public Health, UNICEF, WHO and partners are taking a moment to recognize the tremendous efforts made by polio eradication frontline workers, who continue to work under difficult and challenging conditions to reach every child. “Today, as we mark World...

Dr Elaha, at 22 years old, is a medical graduate and a District Polio Officer. She’s also helping fight the COVID-19 pandemic in Afghanistan.   “COVID-19 has affected both our work life and personal life. When I joined the polio team, I had plans to take initiative and look for innovative ways to fight polio, however, with the COVID-19 pandemic all...

I have worked against all odds “I chose to continue to do public health awareness during the COVID-19 pandemic. I wanted to help save people’s lives and continue to serve my people,” says Nasrin Ahmadi, a polio worker and volunteer for the COVID-19 response in Mazar, Balkh province.

14 October 2020: A multidisciplinary team from WHO’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean has concluded a mission to Afghanistan to review the ongoing response to COVID-19, identify gaps and potential risks, and provide recommendations for strengthening response and control measures. Despite insecurity, natural disasters and other...

29 September 2020 – The Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan, in cooperation with health partners, began a polio vaccination campaign in 10 provinces of the country on 28 September. The campaign will be conducted for 5 days, during which 2 million children under 5 will be vaccinated across 112 districts of Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Ghazni,...

Kabul, 14 September 2020 – Polio vaccinations campaigns have resumed in Afghanistan 6 months into the COVID-19 pandemic that has left over 9.9 million children under 5 years of age exposed to poliovirus. Subnational Immunization Days (SNIDs) for polio eradication are planned from 14 to 18 September in 20 provinces of the east, west, south,...

Zha Hyoung Rhee, H.E. the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea in Afghanistan, and Dr Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative for Afghanistan, sign grant agreement 14 September 2020- The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Afghanistan signed a grant arrangement with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Afghanistan today to support a new project aimed at...

19 August 2020 – Almost 6 months since the first case of COVID-19 was recorded in Afghanistan, the number of cases continues to rise. Ravaged by decades of war, socioeconomic instability and insecurity, the country has long been in a protracted humanitarian crisis. The growing public health emergency due to the pandemic, has made things worse....