Second Round of Polio Vaccination Begins in Afghanistan

The second round of polio vaccination officially kicked off on Sunday and will continue for three days, officials of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) said.

All families are cautioned to vaccinate children younger than five. Fifteen cases of polio have been registered in the country in Laghman, Nangarhar, Uruzgan, Khost, Farah, Ghazni and Kandahar provinces so far this year, marking an increase in the number of polio cases in the country. "The MoPH has started seriously fighting against this illness to eradicate it across the country," Acting Minister Suraya Dalil said. "I ask all parents to vaccinate their children to prevent this illness."

Meanwhile, First Vice President Sarwar Danish stated that the country's health care system is not regulated, adding that an providing equal supply of health services across the country is one the main challenges ahead of the MoPH.

"There are some serious challenges left ahead of the MoHP. The new government has some strategies to provide facilities for people in remote areas."

Families of children suffering from the disease have asked the government to attend to their problems.

"'My son is three-years-old. I hadn't vaccinated him due to the lack of access to health facilities and now he cannot walk,"Noor Mohammad Din, father a child who has polio said. "I ask all parents to vaccinate their children."

Polio is eradicated in most countries but seen in remote parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria due to lack of access to healthcare facilities as well as weather irregularities.