An outbreak of polio may occur in Afghanistan – WHO

An outbreak of polio may occur in Afghanistan – WHO

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The World Health Organization has warned that Afghanistan is at risk of an outbreak of poliomyelitis. The Taliban has suspended its vaccination campaign due to “security concerns” and restrictions on women.

Compared to the previous year, the incidence has tripled, writes The Guardian.

Polio is an acute infectious disease that affects the central nervous system and can cause paralysis and death. It is especially dangerous for babies and small children.

This year, WHO has already confirmed 18 new cases of poliomyelitis. In 2023, only 6 of them were registered.

However, local doctors say the number could be higher as many cases have yet to be identified.

The Taliban have now “temporarily suspended” polio vaccinations in Afghanistan “for security reasons” and because of the involvement of women in the process.

The government wants to entrust vaccination to local mosques. Although the country previously used a “door-to-door” campaign, directly bypassing citizens’ homes.

“This is very bad news for the polio program. To successfully eradicate polio, we need to cover more than 95% of children with two doses of the vaccine,” – an unnamed official from the field of health care of Afghanistan said in a comment for The Guardian.

According to him, they will not be able to achieve this goal with the new rules. That will “endanger the entire country, even the region.”

Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only countries in the world where the polio virus is endemic. That is, those that are typical for this area.

“One of the reasons for banning door-to-door campaigns was security. The south, particularly Kandahar, is home to Taliban leaders and they are concerned that the campaigns could reveal their whereabouts to foreign enemies.” – said the official.

Previously, fake vaccination campaigns in Afghanistan and Pakistan used US intelligence services to identify and confirm terrorist hideouts, including Osama bin Laden.

This led to widespread mistrust of the campaigns across the region. Over the past decade, there have been several attacks on polio vaccination workers.

For example, in Kandahar, which is in the south of Afghanistan, it has been forbidden to carry out “door-to-door” vaccinations for several years. This province accounts for 11 of the 18 registered cases of poliomyelitis.

Although the Taliban banned women from working in many industries, they were mostly allowed to remain in their jobs in the health sector. However, women are severely restricted in vaccination campaigns.

“Women have played a crucial role in the success of door-to-door campaigns and raising vaccine awareness among mothers and families, as men are not allowed in these places in a deeply conservative society.” – said the representative of health care.

We will remind, WHO records significant growth number of cholera patients. In particular, the outbreak was recorded in Afghanistan.