An extensive polio vaccination campaign started on February 26 in 21 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, the country's Health Ministry said. The Taliban-controlled ministry's spokesman, Sharaf Zaman, said the four-day-long campaign aims to inoculate 7.6 million children under the age of five. Zaman asked local religious leaders to cooperate with the inoculation teams. Some parents in the northwest refuse to allow their children to be vaccinated against polio, an infectious disease that can cause paralysis and lead to death. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries in the world where polio has not been completely eradicated. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, click here.
Polio Inoculation Campaign Kicks Off In 21 Afghan Provinces
Editors' Picks
Afghanistan/Pakistan Trending
1
Four Years On, UN Says Taliban Close To 'Erasing' Afghan Women From Public Life
2After Key Report On Afghanistan, State Department Says Taliban Was Keeping Aid
3Kabul's Quiet Resistance: Young Afghans Navigate Life Under The Taliban
4China Dangles Belt And Road Investment To Mend Taliban-Pakistan Ties
5World Food Program Warns Of 'Unprecedented' Hunger Crisis In Afghanistan
6Russia Boosts The Taliban's Quest For Legitimacy. Who Will Be Next?
7Taliban Restrictions Blamed For Surge In Suicides Among Afghans
8Death Toll Rises As Heavy Rains Devastate Northwestern Pakistan
9Pakistan Hit By More Fatal Flooding As Recovery Crews Look For Dead
10Afghan Expert Says Sudden Cutoff In US Aid Has Hit The Vulnerable Hard
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.