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<p>The polio eradication efforts in Afghanistan have suffered a big setback. The United Nations (UN) said on Monday (Sept 16) that the Taliban suspended&nbsp;polio vaccination campaigns in the country.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Polio is one of the world's most infectious viruses and any unvaccinated group of children where the virus is spreading could undo years of progress.&nbsp;Afghanistan is one of two countries in which the spread of polio has never stopped. The other country is Pakistan.</p>

<p>A report by the news agency Associated Press on Monday said that it was likely that the Taliban's decision (to suspend polio vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan) would have major repercussions for other countries in the region and beyond.</p>

<h2><strong>No reason given for suspending vaccination campaigns</strong></h2>

<p>The Taliban gave no reason for suspending vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan, the Associated Press report said. The news of the suspension was relayed to UN agencies right before the September immunisation campaign was due to start.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-reject-uns-criticism-over-vice-and-virtue-laws-urge-their-thorough-understanding-753711">Taliban reject UN's criticism of vice and virtue laws, urge 'acknowledgement of Islamic values'</a></strong></p>

<p>The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed 18 polio cases in Afghanistan this year,&nbsp;all but two in the south of the country. That’s up from six cases in 2023.</p>

<h2><strong>A shift in location of administering vaccines</strong></h2>

<p>Speaking to the news agency, a top WHO official said that the agency was aware of discussions to move away&nbsp;house-to-house vaccinations and instead have immunisations in places like mosques.</p>

<p>“The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is aware of the recent policy discussions on shifting from house-to-house polio vaccination campaigns to site-to-site vaccination in parts of Afghanistan,” Dr&nbsp;Hamid Jafari from the WHO said.</p>

<p>“Partners are in the process of discussing and understanding the scope and impact of any change in current policy,” Dr Jafari added.</p>

<h2><strong>House-to-house vaccination strategy used for first time in 5 years</strong></h2>

<p>During a campaign in June,&nbsp;Afghanistan used a house-to-house vaccination strategy for the first time in five years, a tactic that helped to reach the majority of children targeted, the WHO said.</p>

<p>However, in the southern Kandahar province, the base of Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada used site-to-site or mosque-to-mosque vaccination campaigns, which are less effective than going to people’s homes.</p>

<p>Kandahar continues to have a large pool of susceptible children because it is not carrying out house-to-house vaccinations, the WHO said.</p>

<p>In August, the agency warned that any setback in Afghanistan posed a risk to the programme in Pakistan due to high population movement.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


The polio eradication efforts in Afghanistan have suffered a big setback. The United Nations (UN) said on Monday (Sept 16) that the Taliban suspended polio vaccination campaigns in the country.

The polio eradication efforts in Afghanistan have suffered a big setback. The United Nations (UN) said on Monday (Sept 16) that the Taliban suspended polio vaccination campaigns in the country. Polio is one of the world's most infectious viruses and any unvaccinated group of children where the virus is spreading could undo years of progress. Afghanistan is one of two countries in which the spread of polio has never stopped. The other country is Pakistan. A report by the news agency Associated Press on Monday said that it was likely that the Taliban's decision (to suspend polio vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan) would have major repercussions for other countries in the region and beyond. No reason given for suspending vaccination campaigns The Taliban gave no reason for suspending vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan, the Associated Press report said. The news of the suspension was relayed to UN agencies right before the September immunisation campaign was due to start. Also read | Taliban reject UN's criticism of vice and virtue laws, urge 'acknowledgement of Islamic values' The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed 18 polio cases in Afghanistan this year, all but two in the south of the country. That’s up from six cases in 2023. A shift in location of administering vaccines Speaking to the news agency, a top WHO official said that the agency was aware of discussions to move away house-to-house vaccinations and instead have immunisations in places like mosques. “The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is aware of the recent policy discussions on shifting from house-to-house polio vaccination campaigns to site-to-site vaccination in parts of Afghanistan,” Dr Hamid Jafari from the WHO said. “Partners are in the process of discussing and understanding the scope and impact of any change in current policy,” Dr Jafari added. House-to-house vaccination strategy used for first time in 5 years During a campaign in June, Afghanistan used a house-to-house vaccination strategy for the first time in five years, a tactic that helped to reach the majority of children targeted, the WHO said. However, in the southern Kandahar province, the base of Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada used site-to-site or mosque-to-mosque vaccination campaigns, which are less effective than going to people’s homes. Kandahar continues to have a large pool of susceptible children because it is not carrying out house-to-house vaccinations, the WHO said. In August, the agency warned that any setback in Afghanistan posed a risk to the programme in Pakistan due to high population movement. (With inputs from agencies)

Big setback for polio eradication in Afghanistan: Taliban suspend virus vaccination campaigns, says UN

<p>In an effort to eradicate polio and boost health measures for children in Afghanistan, the Taliban government has agreed to restart a door-to-door vaccination program next month, and will allow women to be frontline workers in the drive, health officials announced Tuesday.</p>

<p>The announcement, by the World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund, is a breakthrough in a country that has been called the “world’s polio capital,” a place where vaccinators have faced the twin challenges of a lack of access to patients and deadly violence.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/as-need-in-afghanistan-grows-dire-aid-groups-plead-for-help-417450">As need in Afghanistan grows dire, aid groups plead for help</a></strong></p>

<p>The five-day nationwide program to distribute the polio vaccine, which is given orally and in multiple doses, will begin Nov. 8, according to officials. The drive aims to reach about 10 million children, according to Dr Hamid Jafari, head of polio eradication for the WHO’s eastern Mediterranean region.</p>

<p>More than 3.3 million children had previously “remained inaccessible to vaccination campaigns,” according to the statement announcing the drive. Children who are 6 months to 59 months old will also be given vitamin A supplements during the campaign, officials said.</p>

<p>Word of the agreement comes as the Taliban have been showing some limited flexibility in dealings with the outside world as the government seeks desperately needed aid amid an ailing economy and increasing food scarcity.</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-urge-us-eu-to-end-existing-sanctions-to-avoid-refugee-crisis-420503" hreflang="en">Taliban urge US, EU to 'end existing sanctions' to avoid refugee crisis</a></strong></p>

<p>“We welcome WHO’s effort to launch its polio vaccination campaign in Afghanistan and are ready to help and coordinate,” Bilal Karimi, a Taliban spokesman, said. “Women can also participate in this campaign and work closely with health workers to provide vaccinations to our people.”</p>

<p>In addition to this polio vaccination program, set to start in early November, “all parties have agreed on the need to immediately start measles and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">COVID-19 vaccination</a> campaigns,” the statement from the U.N. and WHO said. A second polio vaccination program in Afghanistan will be synchronized with one in neighboring Pakistan that is scheduled to begin in December, it said.</p>

<p>Half a dozen more vaccination programs are scheduled to begin next year, according to Jafari.</p>

<p>In announcing the vaccination program, health officials said the Taliban “expressed their commitment” to allow women to be frontline workers in the drive and “for providing security and assuring the safety of all health workers across the country.”</p>

<p><strong>Also read |&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-beauty-salon-a-safe-haven-for-women-in-talibans-kabul-422222" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-beauty-salon-a-safe-haven-for-women-in-talibans-kabul-422222&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiNrdOC9tjzAhV1gtgFHVUKBP4QFnoECAkQAg&amp;usg=AOvVaw3Ht5fNFOukGXXpuajQtbbx" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/in-pics-beauty-salon-a-safe-haven-for-women-in-talibans-kabul-422222" target="_blank">In pics | Beauty salon—a safe haven for women in&nbsp;Taliban's&nbsp;Kabul</a></strong></p>

<p>Jafari said that tens of thousands of women were expected to work in the vaccination effort, as vaccinators, supervisors and managers.</p>

<p>The announcement comes after several attacks on polio vaccinators this year, stifling efforts to inoculate children against the disease. In June, at least five members of two polio vaccination teams were killed in one day during separate attacks in Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan. In the same city, three women working for the government’s polio vaccine campaign were shot dead in late March.</p>

<p>“UNICEF is outraged by this attack,” the organization said at the time. “Frontline health workers should never be a target of violence.”</p>

<p>Around the same time of the shootings, there was an explosion at the city’s regional hospital, near the compound where the vaccines are stored, officials said.</p>

<p>While no group took responsibility for these attacks, the Islamic State Khorasan, also known as ISIS-K, was active in the east and had claimed responsibility for similar attacks on women and civil society leaders in the area.</p>

<p><strong>Watch |&nbsp;Taliban reward suicide bombers' kin</strong></p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/taliban-reward-suicide-bombers-kin-422296/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August, two decades after the U.S.-led invasion of the country drove the group from power. The new government has committed to providing protection to health care workers.</p>

<p>Health officials welcomed the Taliban’s support for the program. In the past, the movement expressed skepticism of door-to-door vaccination drives, saying they believed some vaccinators acted as spies in certain parts of the country. Elsewhere, the Taliban allowed vaccinators to carry out their work in districts under their control.</p>

<p>“We’ve been working with them for decades,” Jafari said, noting that the Taliban had controlled large parts of the country during their exile from power. The Taliban “have always been supportive of polio vaccination and eradication,” he said.</p>

<p>Dr. Ahmed al-Mandhari, the WHO’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said, “The urgency with which the Taliban leadership wants the polio campaign to proceed demonstrates a joint commitment to maintain the health system and restart essential immunizations to avert further outbreaks of preventable diseases.”</p>

<p>Restarting this vaccination program, said George Laryea-Adjei, UNICEF’s regional director for South Asia, is “a step closer toward achieving our shared hope of eradicating polio in the region.”</p>


In an effort to eradicate polio and boost health measures for children in Afghanistan, the Taliban government has agreed to restart a door-to-door vaccination program next month, and will allow women to be frontline workers in the drive, health officials announced Tuesday.

In an effort to eradicate polio and boost health measures for children in Afghanistan, the Taliban government has agreed to restart a door-to-door vaccination program next month, and will allow women to be frontline workers in the drive, health officials announced Tuesday. The announcement, by the World Health Organization and United Nations Children’s Fund, is a breakthrough in a country that has been called the “world’s polio capital,” a place where vaccinators have faced the twin challenges of a lack of access to patients and deadly violence. Also read | As need in Afghanistan grows dire, aid groups plead for help The five-day nationwide program to distribute the polio vaccine, which is given orally and in multiple doses, will begin Nov. 8, according to officials. The drive aims to reach about 10 million children, according to Dr Hamid Jafari, head of polio eradication for the WHO’s eastern Mediterranean region. More than 3.3 million children had previously “remained inaccessible to vaccination campaigns,” according to the statement announcing the drive. Children who are 6 months to 59 months old will also be given vitamin A supplements during the campaign, officials said. Word of the agreement comes as the Taliban have been showing some limited flexibility in dealings with the outside world as the government seeks desperately needed aid amid an ailing economy and increasing food scarcity. Also read | Taliban urge US, EU to 'end existing sanctions' to avoid refugee crisis “We welcome WHO’s effort to launch its polio vaccination campaign in Afghanistan and are ready to help and coordinate,” Bilal Karimi, a Taliban spokesman, said. “Women can also participate in this campaign and work closely with health workers to provide vaccinations to our people.” In addition to this polio vaccination program, set to start in early November, “all parties have agreed on the need to immediately start measles and COVID-19 vaccination campaigns,” the statement from the U.N. and WHO said. A second polio vaccination program in Afghanistan will be synchronized with one in neighboring Pakistan that is scheduled to begin in December, it said. Half a dozen more vaccination programs are scheduled to begin next year, according to Jafari. In announcing the vaccination program, health officials said the Taliban “expressed their commitment” to allow women to be frontline workers in the drive and “for providing security and assuring the safety of all health workers across the country.” Also read | In pics | Beauty salon—a safe haven for women in Taliban's Kabul Jafari said that tens of thousands of women were expected to work in the vaccination effort, as vaccinators, supervisors and managers. The announcement comes after several attacks on polio vaccinators this year, stifling efforts to inoculate children against the disease. In June, at least five members of two polio vaccination teams were killed in one day during separate attacks in Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan. In the same city, three women working for the government’s polio vaccine campaign were shot dead in late March. “UNICEF is outraged by this attack,” the organization said at the time. “Frontline health workers should never be a target of violence.” Around the same time of the shootings, there was an explosion at the city’s regional hospital, near the compound where the vaccines are stored, officials said. While no group took responsibility for these attacks, the Islamic State Khorasan, also known as ISIS-K, was active in the east and had claimed responsibility for similar attacks on women and civil society leaders in the area. Watch | Taliban reward suicide bombers' kin The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August, two decades after the U.S.-led invasion of the country drove the group from power. The new government has committed to providing protection to health care workers. Health officials welcomed the Taliban’s support for the program. In the past, the movement expressed skepticism of door-to-door vaccination drives, saying they believed some vaccinators acted as spies in certain parts of the country. Elsewhere, the Taliban allowed vaccinators to carry out their work in districts under their control. “We’ve been working with them for decades,” Jafari said, noting that the Taliban had controlled large parts of the country during their exile from power. The Taliban “have always been supportive of polio vaccination and eradication,” he said. Dr. Ahmed al-Mandhari, the WHO’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said, “The urgency with which the Taliban leadership wants the polio campaign to proceed demonstrates a joint commitment to maintain the health system and restart essential immunizations to avert further outbreaks of preventable diseases.” Restarting this vaccination program, said George Laryea-Adjei, UNICEF’s regional director for South Asia, is “a step closer toward achieving our shared hope of eradicating polio in the region.”

Taliban allow polio vaccine programme to restart in Afghanistan

<p>At least four people were killed in a succession of targeted strikes on polio workers in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, the second such incident in less than three months.&nbsp;</p>

<p>No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks in the city of Jalalabad. Along with the four killed, at least three members of the polio vaccination teams were wounded, said Dr Jan Mohammad, who coordinates the anti-polio drive for the country’s east.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to Nangarhar police spokesman Farid Khan, the polio workers were gunned down in three different sites over the course of two hours in a "coordinated attack."</p>

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<h5>Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan are the only two remaining countries in the world where polio is endemic, after Nigeria was last year declared free of the virus.</h5>
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<p>"This is Taliban work," he continued, "targeting health personnel in order to deprive people of polio immunizations."</p>

<p>The attacks were confirmed by Osman Taheri, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health.&nbsp;</p>

<p>After Nigeria was proclaimed polio-free last year, Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan are the only two nations in the world where the disease is still widespread.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In March, the Islamic State group said it shot and killed three women who were part of a polio vaccination team, also in Jalalabad, the capital of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.</p>

<p>The IS affiliate is headquartered in eastern Afghanistan and while the Sunni militant group’s numbers are believed to have gone down after recent government offensives and clashes with the rival Taliban, IS militants have lately stepped up attacks on minority Shia Muslims.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


At least four people were killed in a succession of targeted strikes on polio workers in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, the second such incident in less than three months.

At least four people were killed in a succession of targeted strikes on polio workers in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, the second such incident in less than three months. No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks in the city of Jalalabad. Along with the four killed, at least three members of the polio vaccination teams were wounded, said Dr Jan Mohammad, who coordinates the anti-polio drive for the country’s east. According to Nangarhar police spokesman Farid Khan, the polio workers were gunned down in three different sites over the course of two hours in a "coordinated attack." Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan are the only two remaining countries in the world where polio is endemic, after Nigeria was last year declared free of the virus. × "This is Taliban work," he continued, "targeting health personnel in order to deprive people of polio immunizations." The attacks were confirmed by Osman Taheri, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health. After Nigeria was proclaimed polio-free last year, Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan are the only two nations in the world where the disease is still widespread. In March, the Islamic State group said it shot and killed three women who were part of a polio vaccination team, also in Jalalabad, the capital of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. The IS affiliate is headquartered in eastern Afghanistan and while the Sunni militant group’s numbers are believed to have gone down after recent government offensives and clashes with the rival Taliban, IS militants have lately stepped up attacks on minority Shia Muslims. (With inputs from agencies)

Four people working to vaccinate children are shot dead in Afghanistan