Japan pledges $5 million to help immunise 13 million Afghan children against Polio

Kabul [Afghanistan], July 11 (ANI): Japan has provided USD 5 cardinal done UNICEF to bolster polio eradication efforts and fortify immunisation programs crossed each 34 provinces of Afghanistan, according to Khaama Press.

The Government of Japan, successful collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), has partnered with UNICEF successful a 12-month inaugural aimed astatine reaching implicit 13 cardinal children with lifesaving polio vaccines and regular immunisations, Khaama Press reported.

UNICEF stated connected Thursday, July 10, 2025, that the caller assistance reaffirms Japan's longstanding committedness to Afghanistan's wellness sector. It volition assistance prolong advancement toward the planetary extremity of eradicating polio, particularly successful underserved, conflict-affected, and hard-to-reach areas, Khaama Press noted.

Afghanistan is 1 of lone 2 countries successful the satellite wherever chaotic poliovirus transmission has not yet been halted. While under-five and maternal mortality rates person declined successful caller years, entree to basal wellness services remains limited, leaving millions of children susceptible to deadly and preventable diseases, Khaama Press highlighted.

A resurgence of polio successful 2023 underscored the beingness of large immunity gaps, peculiarly among children successful antecedently unreachable locations and mobile oregon cross-border populations. Despite improvements successful acold concatenation infrastructure and expanded vaccine coverage, urgent efforts are needed to span these gaps.

'This concern with UNICEF demonstrates the Government and radical of Japan's committedness to improving the wellness of Afghan children,' said Takayoshi Kuromiya, Japan's Ambassador to Afghanistan.

'We anticipation this inaugural volition heighten the lives of families crossed the country,' helium added, according to Khaama Press.

Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF Representative successful Afghanistan, welcomed the contribution, stating, 'We are adjacent to eradicating polio successful Afghanistan. This publication volition assistance america scope the astir susceptible children with indispensable vaccines.'

Japan has remained a halfway spouse successful Afghanistan's immunisation campaigns for implicit 2 decades, supporting the procurement of vaccines--including polio, BCG, hepatitis B, and measles--while besides providing method assistance and expanding acold concatenation systems captious for maintaining vaccine quality, Khaama Press reported.

The latest 2025 assistance volition assistance UNICEF code captious gaps successful vaccine supply, workforce, and outreach, peculiarly successful distant regions. It volition besides alteration swift outbreak effect and guarantee consistent, high-quality immunisation sum passim the year, according to Khaama Press.

UNICEF expressed gratitude to the Government and radical of Japan for their continued enactment and reiterated that this collaboration marks a important measurement guardant successful moving Afghanistan person to a polio-free future, Khaama Press added. (ANI)