Faryab: Successful Collaborative Efforts Against Polio
Faryab, Afghanistan — It is the first day of the polio vaccination campaign, and dozens of parents have gathered at a vaccination site on the outskirts of Maymana city, the capital of Faryab province. They have brought all their children under five years of age to receive the polio vaccine.
Among the volunteers at the site is Yasmin Mohammadi, a vaccinator wearing a black hijab and a white scarf. With great kindness and care, she administers two drops of the polio vaccine into each child’s mouth.
Her goal is to protect children from the crippling and deadly disease of polio.
24-year-old Yasmin has been performing this duty for the past five years and has vaccinated thousands of children against polio during this time.
She recounts her early days on the job, saying, “In the beginning, I would encounter three or four families who refused to vaccinate their children against polio every day.”
She adds that these families were victims of misinformation, believing that the polio vaccine would harm their children’s health.
However, through the combined efforts of dozens of volunteers like her, along with social mobilizers, healthcare workers, and religious scholars, these misconceptions gradually began to change.
According to Yasmin, she no longer encounters families in her area who refuse to vaccinate their children against polio.
“We made continuous efforts, raised awareness about the dangers of polio, and helped people understand that denying children the polio vaccine is akin to causing their destruction with their own hands. Now, people fully cooperate with us, and this has led to the successful implementation of polio vaccination campaigns in this province,” she said.
Yasmin hopes to vaccinate every child to eradicate polio from Afghanistan.
Among the volunteers at the vaccination site is Yasmin Mohammadi, a vaccinator wearing a black hijab and a white scarf. With great kindness and care, she administers two drops of the polio vaccine into each child’s mouth. © Polio Free Afghanistan/ 2024/ Abdul Saboor Serat
The People also commend the efforts of Yasmin Mohammadi and other volunteers for raising awareness about the dangers of polio and the importance of vaccination.
Sibghatullah, a resident of the Arabkhana area in Maymana City and a father of two, says, “Yasmin Mohammadi and other volunteers like her are the true heroes of our community. They have greatly increased our awareness about the value of the polio vaccine, and we now understand that our children’s health is in our hands.”
He adds that now everyone regularly vaccinates their children, which has enabled the volunteers to effectively administer polio vaccines.
Zahra, another resident of Maymana city, also says that volunteers ensure children receive vaccinations under all circumstances, protecting them from polio.
“If it weren’t for the volunteers of the polio vaccination campaigns, we would still be stuck in the misconception that vaccines harm our children’s health. The volunteers have genuinely brought about a significant change in our community,” she remarks.
Dr. Firoz Fayaz, the General Director of the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) at the Faryab Provincial Health Department, commends the efforts of both volunteers and the public in the fight against polio.
According to him, the last recorded case of polio in Faryab occurred in 2015 in the Zaffran village of Qaisar district. Since then, no new cases have been recorded in the province.
“We have always strived to conduct the polio vaccination campaigns effectively in both remote and accessible areas of the province,” he said.
Dr. Fayaz noted that during each polio vaccination campaign in Faryab, 1,097 teams administer vaccines to 430,000 children under the age of five.
He adds that, in addition to the vaccinators’ efforts, coordination among various institutions has also played a crucial role. “All institutions work together to ensure that no child is left unvaccinated.”
The successful implementation of the polio vaccination campaign in Faryab is a result of the extraordinary efforts of the people and volunteers. This progress is a sign of not only the spread of vaccination but also the increased health awareness and positive change within the community.
If this cooperation and support continue, Faryab can join the ranks of provinces where polio has been eradicated.
Abdul Saboor Seerat, Polio Free Afghanistan
