Diseases
Afghanistan launches nationwide vaccination campaign against polio
A health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child. photo
© KM Chaudary/AP/dpa
Afghanistan wants to defeat polio and is launching a nationwide vaccination offensive for millions of children. Can the fight against the disease be successful?
The campaign is designed to last four days, but will be extended to a week in 42 districts in the east of the country, where the risk of infection is very high. The World Health Organization (WHO) had previously warned that the return of hundreds of thousands of Afghans after mass deportations from neighboring Pakistan increased the risk of the virus spreading.
Disease without cure
Polio is a contagious infectious disease that can cause permanent paralysis and death, especially in small children. The virus is often spread through contaminated water. There is currently no cure. The disease has been eradicated through vaccination campaigns in most countries around the world. Afghanistan is one of the few countries where diseases caused by the wild type of the pathogen still occur regularly.
In the past, vaccination teams in Afghanistan have repeatedly been attacked. Extremists also spread conspiracy theories about alleged side effects. Before they came to power two years ago, the Taliban had banned vaccinations in areas they controlled. However, the United Nations (UN) successfully negotiated a resumption of the vaccination program.