New Delhi: The Taliban-controlled government has suspended all polio vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan, the United Nations (UN) said on Monday.
Taliban did not release any official statement to explain why the campaign was being suspended ahead of a planned immunisation programme in September, reported AP.
According to a senior World Health Organization (WHO) official, the UN organisation is aware of the move to suspend house-to-house immunisation and site vaccinations at mosques.
“Partners are in the process of discussing and understanding the scope and impact of any change in current policy,” AP quoted WHO’s Dr Hamid Jafari as saying.
A nationwide house-to-house polio vaccination campaign had begun in Afghanistan in June this year. It was found to be more effective than the on-site vaccination, commonly used in southern Kandahar, stronghold of Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
According to the WHO, Afghanistan reported 18 cases of polio so far this year compared to 6 in 2023. It was also pointed out that women’s inclusion in polio vaccination campaign is low, at around 20%, limiting access to immunisation for children, especially in areas like Kandahar.
Afghanistan, along with its neighbour Pakistan, has struggled to eradicate the paralysing and often deadly polio virus, making vaccination campaigns crucial.
However, an anti-vaccination rhetoric has gained traction in both countries. Militants in Pakistan frequently target vaccination efforts, driven by a belief that these campaigns are a Western plot to sterilize children.