In observance of World Immunization Week, the Ministry of Public Health said that last year over two million children and mothers in the country received various vaccines.
The Ministry added that within the next four years, all children under five years will be vaccinated.
The Acting Minister of Health said: “For health, and especially for primary health, vaccination is an important part. Without vaccination, I think we will lose a major area, especially for newborn children and children under five years. Therefore, as we work day and night as a government and as a ministry, we also ask our partners to help us in this area.”
Abdul Wali Haqqani, Deputy Minister of Public Health said: “Approximately 1.6 million targeted children, which is 81% of vaccinated children, and 794,098 mothers, which is 91%, have been vaccinated against tetanus.”
Representatives of the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund said that they support the vaccination process in Afghanistan.
The UN Special Envoy for Afghanistan Deborah Lyons said it’s very important that the children of Afghanistan fully benefit from the advances in global vaccination. To advance this goal, there are new initiatives that can ensure that more Afghan children receive vaccines to protect them from disease and death.
A UNICEF representative said: “UNICEF will continue to collaborate with the Ministry of Public Health, development and humanitarian partners and donors to work towards strengthening routine immunization so that every children in Afghanistan has the chance to grow up healthy and with their full potential and contribute to the development of the country.”
The Deputy Minister of Finance and Administration of Public Health urged humanitarian aid organizations to continue their humanitarian aid in the health sector, regardless of political issues. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Public Health, 13 types of vaccines are administered to children at 3,049 centers across the country.—Tolonews
