A Pakistani health worker administers polio vaccine drops to Afghan refugee children during a polio vaccination campaign in Lahore on Jun 19, 2019.
(ARIF ALI / AFP)
KABUL – Afghanistan Public Health Ministry launched a nationwide anti-polio campaign on Monday to eliminate the crippling disease from among children in the war-torn country.
Backed by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the four-day campaign targets some 9.9 million children under five years old, acting Minister for Public Health Qalandar Ebad said.
"Efforts are underway to eliminate the crippling disease from among the children," said the minister, who inaugurated the anti-polio campaign by administering two doses of the vaccine to a child.
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A total of 56 cases of polio had been registered last year in Afghanistan, while one case has been reported so far this year, according to local media reports.