Support to Afghanistan’s Polio Eradication Initiative Program

This program aims to ensure more Afghan children are protected from polio by increasing national polio vaccination coverage. Afghanistan is one of three countries where polio remains endemic and experts believe that Afghanistan is at a critical point in its efforts to eradicate polio. This program supports Afghanistan’s Polio Eradication Initiative, which provides polio vaccinations to more than eight million children across the country. Vaccination campaigns occur regularly at national and sub-national levels, with a focus on areas with higher rates of incidence of polio. This program contributes to strengthening immunization services and monitoring the status of polio in Afghanistan. In conjunction with the polio vaccinations, the program also delivers maternal, newborn and child health interventions, including micronutrient supplementation such as vitamin A to prevent blindness and death and zinc for diarrhea, de-worming to improve nutrition and prevent illness in children and activities to promote good health and hygiene.