United Nations, Sep 16 (IANS) The Taliban has halted all polio vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan, the United Nations said on Monday.
UN agencies said they were informed of the suspension just days before a scheduled September vaccination drive, though no official reason was given.
Representatives of the Taliban-led government did not immediately comment.
Afghanistan and Pakistan are two countries in the world where the spread of this disease has not ended.
There have been continuous efforts to eradicate polio in Afghanistan. Despite this, the country has not yet been completely free from it.
There has been an increase in the number of polio cases in the country in the last three years. The virus has spread even in those provinces that were free from the disease for a long time.
UNICEF, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), the World Health Organization (WHO) and various non-governmental organisations, is exploring new ways through the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to ensure that vaccines reach every child.
So far, 16 Afghan provinces have been affected by the disease, with a total of 56 cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) reported.
Afghanistan’s southern region is worst affected, accounting for 66 percent of the country’s total polio cases in 2020.
The current suspension by the Taliban has created uncertainty about future vaccination efforts. This has raised concerns about the ongoing fight to eradicate polio in the country.
–IANS
MK/AKJ