Afghanistan Completes Second Measles Vaccination Phase; Over 8.3 Million Children Immunized

DID Press: World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have announced the successful completion of the second phase of Afghanistan’s national measles vaccination campaign, covering more than 8.3 million children across 17 warm-climate provinces, achieving over 91% of the program’s target.

According to a joint statement by WHO and UNICEF, the second phase of the nationwide campaign ran from October 29 for ten days, reaching 8,355,446 children aged six months to ten years in the selected provinces. This coverage represents 91.7% of the target population of over nine million children.

Simultaneously, during the campaign, 3,953,961 children in five southern provinces and one southeastern province received a dose of the oral bivalent polio vaccine. Health officials emphasized that the simultaneous implementation of both programs will significantly strengthen immunity among children against preventable diseases.

International health agencies expressed gratitude for the cooperation of parents, healthcare workers, and provincial teams, noting that efforts to reach children in remote areas are ongoing.