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Iran’s health official warns of polio threat from neighboring countries
Raisi highlighted the rapid increase in polio cases in these countries, signaling an urgent need for enhanced vaccination efforts across Iran, especially in high-risk areas.
Raisi explained that the proximity of Iran to two polio-endemic nations—Afghanistan and Pakistan—places the country at constant risk. The ongoing flow of both legal and illegal migrants between these countries and Iran contributes to the danger, with frequent border crossings raising the likelihood of the virus spreading into Iran.
“Given the political upheavals in Afghanistan in recent years and the persistent circulation of the virus in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, the threat of polio entering Iran has escalated,” Raisi said.
He pointed to a dramatic 12-fold increase in polio cases in Pakistan and a fourfold rise in Afghanistan in 2024, compared to the previous year.
The deputy minister also emphasized the importance of Iran’s long-standing polio eradication strategy, noting that supplementary immunization campaigns, carried out since 1994, have been crucial in maintaining Iran’s status as a polio-free country since 2000.
He confirmed that these year’s vaccination efforts will continue in the form of active, house-to-house campaigns aimed at children under five in high-risk areas. These efforts will employ oral polio vaccine (OPV) drops, and both Iranian and non-Iranian children in the targeted regions will be vaccinated.
“The first phase of this year’s campaign took place between January 4 and 6 in 22 medical universities across provinces such as Sistan and Baluchestan, Hormozgan, South Kerman, and Khuzestan,” Raisi added. “The second phase is underway from February 15 to 17.”