Afghanistan launches polio vaccination targeting 9.9 mln children-Xinhua

Afghanistan launches polio vaccination targeting 9.9 mln children

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2022-05-23 17:00:46

An Afghan girl receives polio vaccine in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, May 23, 2022. The Ministry of Public Health of the Afghan caretaker government launched a nationwide polio vaccination campaign on Monday, the ministry said in a statement.

(Photo by Sanullah Seiam/Xinhua)

KABUL, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The Ministry of Public Health of the Afghan caretaker government launched a nationwide polio vaccination campaign on Monday, the ministry said in a statement.

"The fourth general polio vaccination campaign in 2022 is aimed at vaccinating 9.9 million children under the age of five," the ministry said.

The latest campaign was launched in collaboration with the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), according to the statement.

During the nationwide campaign vitamin A capsules will also be given to children aged between six months to five years, the statement noted.

So far in 2022, one positive case of polio has been reported in the Asian country.

Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where polio cases are reported every year.

Afghan children receive polio vaccine in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, May 23, 2022. The Ministry of Public Health of the Afghan caretaker government launched a nationwide polio vaccination campaign on Monday, the ministry said in a statement.

(Photo by Sanullah Seiam/Xinhua)