Health

Polio vaccination campaign kicks off in Afghanistan

Published

1 year ago

December 19, 2022

(Last Updated On: December 19, 2022)

The ministry of public health of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), in cooperation with relevant international agencies launched the last round of the polio vaccination campaign for this year.

The ministry said in a statement that the campaign will be launched in 242 high risk districts of 26 provinces of Afghanistan targeting nearly seven million children under the age of five.

According to the ministry in the east region, the campaign will be rolled out one week later in that region as it comes close on the heels of the previous campaign.
In 2022, nine rounds of polio vaccination campaigns including six national and three regional were carried out this year.

“Each campaign has brought Afghanistan closer to interrupting the transmission of the virus,” read the statement.

Afghanistan is now closer to polio eradication than ever before.

“This year, to date, two polio cases, one in Paktika and one in Kunar, have been reported. This is a significant reduction compared to 56 polio cases in 2020 and four cases in 2021,” read the statement.

Dr. Qalandar Ebad, the Minister of Public called on the nation to respect health workers who are working to save the lives of children.

“The people, especially parents, should respect the efforts of the vaccination teams that save the life of their children, (and save them) from deadly and permanently paralyzing polio disease by administering two drops of the vaccine,” Ebad said.

The Minister also called on people to cooperate with vaccination teams so children get vaccinated.

“Parents should present children under the age of five to the vaccinators to be vaccinated so that they are protected from the disease,” the Minister added.

Polio is a viral disease that has no cure and can only be prevented by vaccination. The disease is mostly prevalent in children and can cause permanent paralysis or even death.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries where polio is endemic.

The Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan calls on all local officials, community elders, influencers, scholars, and parents to cooperate with vaccination teams in their communities for the successful implementation of this campaign so that no child will be paralyzed by the virus and this disease can be eradicated from Afghanistan forever.

Related Topics:Afghanistan camping featured Polio

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Health

Majority of Afghans with mental disorders are women: officials

Published

3 days ago

April 13, 2024

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: April 13, 2024)

Based on last year’s data, 52 percent of people with mental disorders in Afghanistan are women, the Ministry of Public Health said.

However, after the Islamic Emirate took over the country and with the improvement of nationwide security and the provision of better health services, mental disorders have decreased, the ministry said.

“Overall, the mental security of men and women in Afghanistan is not ensured and their mental security is disturbed. According to the figures shared with us, in 2023, 52 percent of the visitors for mental disorders were women,” said Sharaft Zaman Amarkhil, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Health.

“Generally speaking, we can say that compared to the past, the instances of mental illnesses have decreased,” he added.

People suffering mental disorders mostly refuse to share their problem, willingly or unwillingly.

“There are many problems at home; We are poor. I finished school, but didn’t find any job,” Ansar, a mentally ill person, said.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), half of Afghanistan’s population suffers from mental distress.

Factors such as unemployment, poverty, domestic violence, ban on girls’ and women’s education and work, and drugs are said to be key contributors to mental distress.

Health

Over 1 million women in Afghanistan malnourished last year: WFP

Published

3 weeks ago

March 29, 2024

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: March 29, 2024)

A total of 1.2 million women in Afghanistan were malnourished last year, the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP) said on Thursday.

Mona Shaikh, head of nutrition at WFP Afghanistan, said that the number of malnourished women is expected to increase this year.

On malnourished children, she said that their number will reach 3 million this year, but WFP will be able to assist only 1.6 million of them.

WFP warned that after foreign assistance cuts last year, it saw a rise in children’s admissions to malnutrition clinics in Afghanistan.

More than 23 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan this year, according to the United Nations. Over half of them are children.

Health

Public Health minister meets with head of the UN refugees agency

Published

4 weeks ago

March 22, 2024

Ariana News

(Last Updated On: March 22, 2024)

Dr. Qalandar Ebad, the Minister of Public Health met with Leonard Zulu, the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, on Thursday in Kabul to discuss issues facing the health sector in the country.

Among the issues discussed was that of the establishment of new health centers for returnees in the country.

Ebad said the provision of better health services for compatriots and returnees was one of his priorities and requested the cooperation of this organization in this field.

Leonard Zulu assured Ebad of the organization’s continued cooperation.