(MENAFN- Khaama Press) The Ministry of Public Health in Afghanistan has announced that the first round of the polio vaccination campaign for over 10 million children across Afghanistan will begin today.
In a statement issued on Sunday, April 28th, the ministry stated that the first round of the polio vaccination campaign for the year current year will commence today, Monday, April 29th, across the country except for the provinces of Ghor, Daikundi, and Bamyan.
According to the ministry's statement, this vaccination campaign aims to vaccinate over 10.17 million children under the age of five against polio.
The statement quoted Qalandar Ebad, the Minister of Public Health, saying,“Our goal with this campaign is to eradicate polio with the cooperation of our partners throughout Afghanistan.”
Recently, Bill Gates, the head of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has called on countries to commit financially to the fight against polio, emphasizing the lack of guarantee for complete eradication of the disease.
Reuters reported that Mr Gates welcomed Saudi Arabia's generous contribution of $500 million towards the global polio eradication efforts on Sunday, April 28th.
Despite Saudi Arabia's significant contribution, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative spokesperson highlighted a current shortfall of $1.2 billion, underscoring the ongoing financial challenges in combating polio worldwide.
Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only countries where polio still persists. Polio is a viral disease that affects children and can only be eradicated through vaccination.
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