Afghanistan Launches First Nationwide Polio Vaccination Campaign of 2026
KABUL — Afghanistan has launched its first nationwide polio vaccination campaign of 2026, targeting 12.6 million children under the age of five over three days.
The effort, supported by UNICEF and other international partners, will also distribute vitamin A supplements to children aged 6 to 59 months, according to the Taliban Ministry of Public Health.
The campaign has been postponed in Daikundi and Bamyan provinces due to cold weather and delayed by one week in Ghor province, the ministry said.
Noor Jalal Jalali, Taliban minister of public health, emphasized the goal of preventing the spread of polio and ultimately eradicating the disease.
The World Health Organization reported a 64 percent decrease in polio cases nationwide, from 25 in 2024 to nine in 2025. The cases occurred in Badghis (one), Nimroz (one), Helmand (two), Uruzgan (one), Paktika (two), Paktia (one) and Kunar (one).
The Taliban banned house-to-house polio vaccination campaigns and women's participation since September last year, restricting the effort to mosques and health centers.
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