KABUL - Commemorating World Vaccination Week at the Malalai Lycee School for girls, Dr. Suraya Dalil, Minister of Public Health (MoPH) of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Mr Sediq Patman, Deputy Minister of Education and Peter Crowley, UNICEF Representative to Afghanistan and the World Health Organization(WHO) Representative Dr Karam Shah stressed the importance of continued support for Afghanistan to improve outreach of vaccination campaigns where every child is vaccinated.

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has strengthened their commitment for improving vaccination for all Afghans. Immunization service delivery has expanded from 870 in 2004 to 1251 Vaccination Centers (EPI fixed centers) in 2011.

Around 2700 staffs are engaged, in 60 immunization teams, in providing immunization services all over the country. The MoPH included immunization as one of the four health targets and in its revised National Health Policy and Strategy 2011 - 2015 to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

H.E. Dr Dalil called on the young women in the schools to tell their sisters, mother’s and aunts to get the TT (Tetanus Toxoid) Vaccine against Tetanus. The three course vaccine protects women in childbearing years, who will pass on the protection of anti-bodies to her baby for a short time.

MoPH/UNICEF/WHO recognized the immunization improvements Afghanistan has achieved:

• Increased vaccination coverage with three doses of diphtheria–tetanus–pertussis (DTP3-Penta3), a key indicator of routine coverage, increased from 83% in 2009 to 87% in 2010.
• Routine measles-containing vaccine (MCV1) coverage has improved in recent years from 46% in 2001 to 79% in 2010.

There are many obstacles Afghanistan faces to reach every community. An overloaded infrastructure and logistics system, varying technical and managerial capacity; also a lack of understanding of the importance of immunization in the population and false rumours questioning vaccine safety all contribute to why equitable access to vaccines has not yet been achieved. Approximately, 90% of unimmunized or incompletely immunized children live in low income, fragile health infrastructure, and difficult geographical terrain and conflict areas. All agreed, harm or death of a child by a preventable disease like polio and measles is unacceptable and we must work harder to eradicate these diseases from Afghanistan.

The international community must continue its support for immunization in Afghanistan to meet this basic need for global health security. Therefore, additional assistance to the national government, from partners and donors is needed to ensure children in Afghanistan have access to these life saving vaccines.

Health is for Everybody!