Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health, in coordination with international partners, on Monday launched the second subnational polio vaccination campaign of 2026, aiming to protect millions of young children from the disease.

The four-day drive began today, May 18, and will run until May 21 across 194 districts in 20 provinces. In the southern provinces of Kandahar, Helmand, Uruzgan, and Zabul, the campaign will take place from May 19 to 22.

Officials say approximately 8.3 million children under the age of five are expected to be immunized during this round.

This subnational campaign follows the first nationwide polio vaccination effort of the year, which was conducted in April and reached over 12 million children. The current targeted round focuses on high-risk and priority areas to maintain momentum toward interrupting poliovirus transmission in one of the last two countries where wild polio remains endemic.

Health authorities have called on parents and caregivers to bring their children to vaccination points and ensure they receive the oral polio vaccine. The Ministry, supported by partners including the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), continues to emphasize the importance of high coverage to protect children from this preventable but debilitating disease.

Polio vaccination campaigns remain a critical public health priority in Afghanistan amid ongoing efforts to eradicate the virus nationwide. (ILKHA)