The Taliban regime’s retreat into itself knows fewer and fewer limits. Following Kabul’s refusal to accept calls from the international community to review its policy of eliminating women from society, Afghan Islamists are attacking the UN campaign against polio. On Monday 16 September, the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed the suspension of the vaccination wave that was to begin in Afghanistan. This country is the last, along with Pakistan, where the disease remains endemic.
WHO regional director Hamid Jafari said talks were underway with Taliban authorities to determine a new date. On Tuesday, after denying this sudden halt, a health ministry spokesman clarified that his country ” want[ait] use more professional methods to stop the spread of the disease”According to the WHO, the Taliban want vaccinations to take place in mosques or public places under their control and no longer through the door-to-door method.
Low inclusion rate of women
For the UN, this decision “It could have disastrous effects, in particular, on the country’s young population”This virus is one of the most infectious in the world and unvaccinated children are the first to spread a disease that can cause death or paralysis. Interrupting this vaccination campaign could reverse years of progress in health protection.
WHO recalls that eighteen cases of polio have been recorded in Afghanistan in the last eight months, mainly in the south of the country. A figure higher than that of 2023, which totaled six cases. WHO diplomat Dr. Hamid Jafari assures that “All partners are in discussions to understand the scope and impact of any changes to the current polio eradication policy.”These debates may be long-lasting because they are not only about questions of effectiveness, but also, and above all, about the regime’s idea of its sovereignty and the suitability of the fight against polio in line with its understanding of Islamic law.
During the summer, the WHO announced that Afghanistan and Pakistan had undertaken a “intensive and synchronized campaign” to improve vaccination coverage. For the first time since 2019, WHO was able to go door-to-door in June, reaching, it says, most of the target children. Only the southern province of Kandahar, a stronghold of the Taliban’s supreme leader Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada, had mandated the use of public spaces transformed into vaccination sites, especially mosques, which appeared to be “much less effective” according to UN experts. The other flaw, they say, has to do with “ The overall rate of inclusion of women in vaccination campaigns is around 20%, which has the effect of increasing the number of infected children”.
You have 21.7% left to read of this article. The rest is reserved for subscribers.
