Afghanistan Signs US$5.3 Million Contract to Boost Polio Vaccination

Kabul (ANTARA) - Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health on Tuesday signed a contract worth 5.3 million US dollars with the international organisation Action Against Hunger (AAH) to strengthen oral polio vaccination efforts in two remote southern provinces, Uruzgan and Helmand. The one-year contract aims to improve the quality, coverage and accessibility of immunisation services. Under the agreement, 487,000 residents will receive oral polio vaccine services through 50 health facilities, while 422 new jobs in the health sector will be created for local communities. The initiative was launched at a critical time when the country’s health sector remains fragile. Communities in remote and mountainous areas continue to face significant obstacles in accessing health services due to poor infrastructure, limited transport facilities, and a severe shortage of essential medical supplies and trained health workers. Polio remains a public health concern in Afghanistan, one of the few countries in the world where wild poliovirus is still endemic. Expanding vaccination coverage in hard-to-reach areas is considered essential to break the chain of transmission and protect children from the paralysing disease.