UNICEF says Gates Foundation backs polio eradication efforts in Afghanistan

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) says the Gates Foundation continues to support vaccination programmes and efforts to eradicate polio in Afghanistan, one of the last countries where the disease remains endemic. Tajudeen Oyewale, UNICEF’s representative in Afghanistan, said on Saturday that he held a productive meeting with senior Gates Foundation officials to discuss the foundation’s partnership with UNICEF in the country. “We appreciate the support for primary healthcare, nutrition, routine immunisation and polio eradication,” Oyewale wrote on X, highlighting the foundation’s role in supporting key health programmes across Afghanistan. Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus has not been fully eradicated. Health officials have repeatedly warned that continued transmission poses a risk to children, particularly in areas with limited access to healthcare services. According to official figures, Afghanistan recorded nine confirmed polio cases last year. Health agencies have stressed the importance of sustained vaccination campaigns to prevent further outbreaks and achieve global eradication goals. The Gates Foundation has long been one of the largest supporters of global polio eradication efforts, working alongside UNICEF, the World Health Organization and other international partners to expand immunisation coverage in vulnerable communities. Public health experts say insecurity, population displacement and restrictions affecting door-to-door vaccination campaigns have complicated efforts to eliminate polio in Afghanistan. International agencies continue to call for uninterrupted access to children across all regions of the country. UNICEF and its partners have repeatedly emphasized that maintaining routine immunisation services and strengthening primary healthcare systems are critical to protecting children from preventable diseases, including polio, measles and other infectious illnesses. The post UNICEF says Gates Foundation backs polio eradication efforts in Afghanistan appeared first on Khaama Press.