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1 in 3 children still unimmunized in Afghanistan
Expanding access to vaccines crucial for saving lives and sustaining progress in reducing child mortality rates KABUL, 25 April 2018 –An estimated 160,000 to 200,000 children under one year of age in Afghanistan − one in three – received zero vaccinations last year. These gaps in routine immunization coverage not only put the lives of...
Another polio case Afghanistan — vaccination campaign starts tomorrow in high risk areas
Kabul, April 8, 2018 – A sub-national polio vaccination campaign will be conducted in selected high-risk districts in Afghanistan starting from tomorrow and will last until 13 April 2018. The campaign starts at a critical time. One new polio case has been confirmed last week in Ghazi Abad district of Kunar province – the second case in the...
Repairing the wounds of war in Afghanistan
Emergency, an Italian humanitarian NGO financially supported by WHO, runs a surgical ward in the centre of Kabul. They treat victims of war for free. Programme coordinator Dejan Panic talks about his work. 7 April 2018 – IEmergency Programme coordinator Dejan Panict was a sunny winter day in one of central Kabul’s busiest areas. Buzzing with...
Afghanistan and Pakistan meet to coordinate last push for polio eradication
Abu Dhabi, 29 March 2018 -- Afghanistan and Pakistan polio eradication teams are gathering this week in Abu Dhabi to discuss common strategies for the last push required to eradicate polio in the Region. In 2017, Afghanistan and Pakistan were the only two countries globally to record any cases of wild poliovirus transmission, with most cases...
Another new case of polio confirmed in Kandahar
Kabul, March 24, 2018 One new polio case has been confirmed in Khakrez district of Kandahar province, bringing the total number of confirmed polio cases in Afghanistan to 6 during 2018. The case occurred in a 12-month-old boy in an area difficult to access by vaccination teams. The area was inaccessible for nearly 9 months. The child had only...
WHO project improves health care sector’s response to gender-based violence in Afghanistan
Zahra, midwife from Bamyan, was trained on gender-based violence. Photo WHO/S. RamoKabul, 18 March 2018 – A WHO project has brought about positive changes in Afghan health care providers’ knowledge, attitudes and practice in providing services to survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), a recent evaluation finds.The end-line evaluation of a...
Two New Cases of Polio Confirmed in Kunar and Kandahar
Kabul, March 14, 2018 Two new polio cases have been confirmed in the past week in Kunar and Kandahar provinces, bring the total number of confirmed polio cases in Afghanistan to 5 during 2018. The cases occurred in Ghaziabad and Shahwalikot districts. Both children – who are now paralysed for life – have never been vaccinated against polio. Both cases...
WHO Afghanistan facilitates national survey to assess the risk factors contributing to noncommunicable diseases
WHO Afghanistan staff. Photo WHO AfghanistanKabul 13 March 2018 – WHO Afghanistan supports a survey to assess risk factors associated with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in the country. The survey will be conducted from March to May 2018. The STEP survey is conducted with the support of the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and...
Around 9.9 million children to be vaccinated against polio across the country this week
Kabul 12 March 2018 Today the Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan, together with UNICEF and WHO, is launching the first national campaign for polio eradication in 2018. Over the next five days, around 9.9 million children under the age of five will be vaccinated against polio in all provinces of Afghanistan and more than 8.9 million children...
Polio vaccination, again?
Mansour, Shah Maqsoud and Nadia work as a polio vaccinator team in Kabul. Photo: WHO/Tuuli Hongisto In Afghanistan, frontline health workers explain to parents why the polio vaccine must be delivered multiple times Kabul 15 February 2018 – “It’s easy for the boys. They are young and strong,” laughs Nadia. She has just climbed hundreds of steps to...
