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Afghanistan's fresh anti-polio drive targets 5.6 mln children

Xinhua, January 30, 2017 Adjust font size:

Afghanistan kicked off a vaccination campaign against polio virus as the country struggled to root out the infectious disease, the Public Health Ministry said on Monday.

Starting from Monday, the drive will target 5.6 million children of less than five-year-old, according to a statement on the ministry's website.

The campaign runs, from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, with a catch-up day to revisit missed children on Friday, Feb. 3, the statement reads.

The drive is covering the Southern, South-eastern regions, most districts in the Eastern region as well as selected high-risk districts across the country, including national capital of Kabul city.

The number of poliomyelitis cases in Afghanistan reached 13 in 2016 after a new case of the crippling disease was detected in December. A total of 20 ceases were reported in 2015.

The militancy-hit Central Asian country remains one of the last three polio-endemic countries in the world.

Ongoing insurgency and conflicts have been hindering the efforts to stamp out the disease in the mountainous country. Enditem