Afghanistan launches polio vaccination targeting 9.9mn kids

Kabul, May 23 The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan on Monday launched a nationwide polio vaccination drive targeting 9.9 million children.

"The fourth general polio vaccination campaign in 2022 is aimed at vaccinating 9.9 million children under the age of five," Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry of Public Health as saying.

The latest campaign was launched in collaboration with the Unicef and the World Health Organization, according to the Ministry.

During the nationwide campaign, vitamin A capsules will also be given to children aged between six months to five years, it added.

So far in 2022, one positive case of polio has been reported in the Asian country.

Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where polio cases are reported every year.