While COVID-19 still spreads across the world, the need to maintain the fight against polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases goes on. Thousands of front-line polio workers continue to fight polio while at the same time supporting the COVID-19 response — all while having to adapt to increasingly difficult working environments amid lockdowns, constrained resources, and stringent infection control measures.

Nasrin Ahmadi, a district polio officer in the Balkh province city of Mazar in Afghanistan, said, “I chose to continue to do public health awareness during the COVID-19 pandemic. I wanted to help save people’s lives and continue to serve my people.”

During the pandemic, Nasrin took on additional responsibilities to identify suspected COVID-19 cases, share accurate and up-to-date information about COVID-19 with her colleagues and her community, and follow up with individuals returning from abroad to ensure they are isolating. She does this all while at the same time spreading knowledge about polio and the importance of vaccination.

Nasrin, and thousands of other health workers like her, heroically put their health at risk to help their community.

“I go out hoping that my work might save lives. If I stay home, who will give the information to people that I do?” said Nasrin.

Read the full article about polio programs by Elizabeth Thrush at the United Nations Foundation.