Four-Day Polio Vaccination Campaign Begins Across 20 Afghanistan Provinces

DID Press: Taliban’s Ministry of Public Health has announced the launch of the second sub-national polio vaccination campaign of 2026, targeting more than 8.3 million children under the age of five across 20 provinces.

According to the ministry, the campaign is being implemented with the support of international health organizations in 194 districts nationwide.

The vaccination drive is scheduled to run from May 18 to May 21, 2026, in provinces across the central, southern, eastern, western, southeastern, northern and northeastern regions of Afghanistan.

Health officials also confirmed that the campaign in the provinces of Kandahar, Helmand, Uruzgan and Zabul will take place from May 19 to May 22, 2026.

Noor Jalal Jalali said the ministry remains committed to eliminating the poliovirus in Afghanistan and will continue nationwide immunization campaigns and health services until the disease is fully eradicated.

Afghanistan remains one of the few countries in the world where polio transmission has not yet been completely stopped, making vaccination campaigns a key part of public health efforts.