Afghanistan Launches Nationwide Polio Vaccination Targeting 12.7 Mln Children

KABUL, Sept 21 (NNN-Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's Ministry of Public Health on Monday launched a nationwide polio vaccination campaign aimed at immunising more than 12.7 million children under the age of five against the poliovirus, reported Xinhua.

The drive, scheduled to run from Monday through Thursday and extending to Friday in southern provinces, will administer doses of the oral polio vaccine as part of ongoing efforts to eradicate the debilitating disease, the ministry said in a statement.

Ministry spokesperson Sharafat Zaman Amarkhil urged tribal elders, religious scholars and parents to fully cooperate with health workers to ensure the campaign's success.

According to a World Health Organisation report, Afghanistan had recorded 25 confirmed cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) as of Sept 13.

--NNN-XINHUA