Poliomyelitis, or polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. People can contract the infection from person to person, and if it infects the spinal cord, it can cause paralysis. The CDC explains that post-polio syndrome (PPS) can affect those who went through the disease, even after many years since the initial recovery. In the last three years, the polio vaccination campaign in Afghanistan was put on hold due to the political situation. It seems that the new Taliban regime has agreed to allow health workers to restart the polio vaccination campaign in Afghanistan.
The polio vaccination campaign will begin next month
The UN and the Who announced that the polio vaccination campaign would begin in Afghanistan next month. It will include over three million children who could not get vaccinated against this virus in the past.
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Afghanistan is not the only country struggling with poliovirus. Pakistan will also begin a national vaccination campaign in December. Hervé Ludovic De Lys, UNICEF Representative in Afghanistan, explained that children between 6 and 59 months old would also receive a supplementary dose of vitamin A during the polio vaccination campaign.
The Afghan healthcare system remains fragile
Due to the turmoil and many difficult hardships, the Afghan people had to endure, the healthcare system in the region remains fragile. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) declared that measures are taken to ensure the system does not collapse. The IOM has seven mobile health teams operating in border provinces of Afghanistan. The measles and Covid-19 vaccinations campaign are also a top priority for all international health organizations.
More than 95% of families in Afghanistan are suffering from hunger. UN’s official Martin Griffiths, announced that $45 million from the emergency fund would be used to help the country’s overwhelmed health system.
