JALALABAD - As many as 13,000 children in three insecure district of eastern Nangarhar province have been deprived of polio vaccination, an official said on Monday.
Public Health Director Najibullah Kamawal acknowledged polio vaccination campaigns could not be carried out in Kot, Achin and Haska Mena districts over the past few years.
Inaugurating a three-day vaccination drive in the province Kamawal said last year 64,000 children could not be administered polio drops, However, a successful military offensive paved the ground for the drive being executed in some areas of Shinwari district.
Maulvi Attiqullah, director of hajj and religious affairs, urged families to ensure their children received polio drop. He said: “Ulema and local elders should make sure every child receives the drops.
Police spokesman Hazrat Husain Mashraqiwal said there was no hurdle to the polio vaccination drive. Security forces have cleared Achin and Kot district, with an operation ongoing in Khogyani and Ghanikhel districts. (Pajhwok)