UNICEF Reports Over 11 Million Afghan Children Vaccinated Against Polio in 2024

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced that 11.6 million Afghan children under the age of five received polio vaccinations in 2024, Afghanistan International reported. UNICEF is committed to eradicating polio in Afghanistan, and Tajudeen Oyewale, the organization’s representative in the country, shared these statistics on Tuesday. He emphasized that UNICEF, along with its partners, aims to vaccinate every Afghan child against polio.

Polio remains a significant health threat in Afghanistan, with many children contracting the disease due to inadequate healthcare services. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported 25 polio cases in Afghanistan last year. Recently, the Taliban’s Ministry of Public Health confirmed the first polio case of 2025, detected in a five-year-old child from Qarto village in the Balamorghab district of Badghis province.