Afghanistan launched a nationwide polio vaccination campaign on Monday aimed at reaching 12.8 million children under the age of five, as the country grapples with a sharp rise in cases this year.
Sharafat Zaman Amarkhil, spokesman for the Taliban-run health ministry, said the campaign would run from November 2 to 5 across most of the country. In the southern region vaccinations will take place from November 3 to 6, while Logar province will hold its round from November 9 to 13. Children in the southern, southeastern, western and eastern regions will also receive albendazole tablets to prevent intestinal worm infections.
The World Health Organization says Afghanistan has confirmed 42 polio cases so far this year, double the 21 recorded in the whole of 2025. The increase follows the Taliban authorities' suspension of house-to-house vaccination campaigns in late 2024, a method health officials have long relied on to reach children who would otherwise be missed.
Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries where wild poliovirus remains endemic. Pakistan is running its own campaign from November 2 to 8, targeting about 24 million children across 97 districts.