UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, has recently stated that there is no cure for polio, but it can be prevented through vaccination.
In a message posted on its X account, the organization emphasized that as long as the polio virus is circulating in Afghanistan, every child under five years old must receive two drops of the vaccine.
The United Nations Children’s Fund further stressed the importance of ensuring that no child is left out of the vaccination process to prevent the spread of this disease.
UNICEF also called on “parents, caregivers, and community leaders” to cooperate in this regard and ensure that all children are vaccinated.
The organization added that the collaboration of families and communities alongside health teams can help end and eradicate polio in Afghanistan.
This is the first campaign to administer the polio vaccine in Afghanistan for the year 1405 in the Afghan calendar, targeting 12.6 million children under five years old.
Currently, Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only countries in the world where polio has not been eradicated.
It is worth mentioning that nine positive cases of polio were recorded in Afghanistan in 2025, but so far this year, no new cases have been reported.
The World Health Organization has also warned that until polio is completely eradicated globally, Afghanistan remains at risk of international virus transmission, making cooperation with global programs and coordination with Pakistan essential for vaccinating populations in border areas.
This agency has raised concerns about the increased risk of vaccine-derived viruses (cVDPV) in certain regions of the world and emphasized that widespread vaccination and continuous monitoring are the only ways to prevent further outbreaks of the disease.
