The “Polio-Free Afghanistan” initiative has recently stated that vaccinating children, including administering the polio vaccine, is vital to protect them from dangerous diseases.
In a post on its X (formerly Twitter) account, the organization wrote that even in developed countries, children receive all essential vaccines, as this is crucial to ensuring a healthy future for them.
The “Polio-Free Afghanistan” initiative also called on parents to fully vaccinate their children so they can be protected against dangerous diseases, including polio.
It is worth noting that the organization had previously warned that children returning from Pakistan should receive the polio vaccine at border crossings, as positive polio cases have increased in that country.
Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only two countries in the world where cases of polio are still being reported.
It should also be noted that polio eradication has been a global health goal for decades. Widespread vaccination since 1988 has significantly reduced polio cases, but the virus has not yet been completely eliminated.
In 2025, around 36 confirmed cases of the poliovirus were recorded in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the two countries where the disease remains endemic.
Meanwhile, 149 cases of so-called “vaccine-derived polio” have been reported in countries including Nigeria. This type occurs when vaccinated children shed the virus, which, after mutating, can spread among unvaccinated populations.
Despite this risk, global health authorities emphasize that continued vaccination and careful surveillance are the key to definitively ending this disease.
