1 February 2011 - Thousands of health providers and volunteers in eastern and southern Afghanistan are making house calls today to vaccinate around 740,000 children in the country’s first polio immunization campaign of the year.

The Afghan Ministry of Public Health kicked off the three-day drive on Sunday in Paktya’s regional capital Gardez, with support from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UN World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners.

Thanks to the successes of previous polio campaigns, Paktya is polio free, Dr Mohammad Nadar Noori, Provincial Director of Public Health, told journalists at the launch of the campaign.

At least 10,000 National Immunization Day (NID) service providers - including volunteers, cluster supervisors, monitor and district coordinators – have been going door-to-door to distribute the two drops of polio vaccine to all children under the age of five.

The vaccination develops individual immunity against and also limits the risk of an outbreak of the paralysis-causing virus.

The local head of UNICEF, Abdul Khalil, has asked ulemas (Islamic scholars), community leaders, civil society, media representatives and residents to play their due role in facilitating administration of the vaccine.

“Because of my apathy, one of my children had a polio affected handicap in Peshawar, and ultimately died,” said resident Jan Agha.

“I will never repeat my bitter and unforgettable mistake and advise other to get their children vaccinated against the contagious disease.”

Twenty-four confirmed cases of the disease were detected in Afghanistan last year, said Dr Khushhal Khan Zaman, head of the WHO eastern regional office in Jalalabad which is also taking part in the campaign.

The exact number is likely higher because of heavy cross-border movement of people between the Afghanistan and Pakistan border.

Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan - along with India and Nigeria – are the only countries where polio remains endemic.

“In the Pakistani tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, 78 cases of polio had been detected last year,” Zaman said.

The eastern and southern regions correspond to areas of some of the greatest insecurity. Anti-Government elements (AGEs) there attacked health campaign workers during last year’s campaign, and the current campaign cannot reach AGE-affected areas in Nuristan and Kunar provinces.

"As a result, 18,000 children will not be vaccinated,” Zaman said.

By Dilawar Khan Dilawar and Tilak Pokharel, UNAMA