|
Naikwali Shah Momim, the National Emergency Operations
Coordinator for the polio programme at Afghanistan's health
ministry, told Reuters the campaign had started in various parts
of the country on Monday, but added there were several hurdles
around a shortage of trained staff.
The campaign, which is aimed at reaching over 3 million
children, had received Taliban backing, which would allow teams
to reach children in previously inaccessible parts of the
country, the WHO said.
"The urgency with which the Taliban leadership wants the polio
campaign to proceed demonstrates a joint commitment to maintain
the health system and restart essential immunizations to avert
further outbreaks of preventable diseases," said Ahmed Al
Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean,
in a statement.
However, Momim said that more training was needed for teams in
remote areas, so the programme would initially start in places
such as Kabul.
Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan are the last countries in
the world with endemic polio, an incurable and highly infectious
disease transmitted through sewage that can cause crippling
paralysis in young children.
Polio has been virtually eliminated globally through a
decades-long inoculation drive. But insecurity, inaccessible
terrain, mass displacement and suspicion of outside interference
have hampered mass vaccination in Afghanistan and some areas of
Pakistan.
Several polio workers have been killed by gunmen in eastern
Afghanistan this year, though it was not clear who was behind
the attacks.
According to WHO figures compiled before the collapse of the
Western-backed government in August, there was one reported case
of the one wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in Afghanistan in 2021,
compared with 56 in 2020.
Until the disease is eliminated completely, it remains a threat
to human health in all countries, especially those with
vulnerable health systems because of the risk of importing the
disease, according to health experts.
(This story corrects organisation of Naikwali Shah Momim from
WHO to Afghanistan's ministry of health)
(Reporting by Gibran Peshiman; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield;
Editing by Ana Nicolaci da Costa)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
