WHO official urges stronger immunization efforts during Afghanistan polio mission

The World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Director, Hanan Balkhy, has called for stronger immunization programmes and sustained investment in Afghanistan’s healthcare system following her fourth mission to the country with the Polio Oversight Board (POB).

During the visit, Balkhy and the POB delegation met with Afghan health authorities, frontline healthcare workers, United Nations agencies and international partners to assess ongoing efforts to eradicate polio and ensure every child has access to life-saving vaccines.

She stressed that ending polio requires more than mass vaccination campaigns, highlighting the importance of strengthening routine immunization, maintaining essential health services and building a more resilient healthcare system.

“Reaching every child with life-saving vaccines must go hand in hand with strengthening routine immunization and sustaining essential health services,” Balkhy said.

She said the delegation had witnessed the commitment of health workers and partners across Afghanistan despite significant operational and humanitarian challenges, expressing confidence that continued collaboration could accelerate progress toward eliminating the disease.

Balkhy added that combining humanitarian support with long-term investment in healthcare would not only help eradicate polio but also strengthen the country’s ability to protect communities from other preventable diseases.

Afghanistan remains one of only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus is still endemic, alongside neighbouring Pakistan. Health officials have repeatedly warned that insecurity, population movement, gaps in routine immunization and limited access to some communities continue to pose challenges to eradication efforts. Strengthening routine vaccination and primary healthcare services is considered critical to achieving a polio-free Afghanistan and preventing future outbreaks.