No Needle, No Fear, No Pain
“With jet injectors, polio vaccinators in Afghanistan build trust”
By Omid Farooq
“On a cloudy morning in Afghanistan’s Laghman province, Dr. Arsala set out for Alingar, a rugged, mountain-wrapped district he had visited many times before. After 12 years as a provincial polio officer, he knew the rhythm of polio campaigns: the early starts, the long drives, the predictable challenges. But this time felt different. He carried a new tool being introduced for the first time in Afghanistan’s polio program: needle-free injections.
From August to October last year, Afghanistan’s polio eradication program launched a three-phase campaign using the inactivated polio vaccine, normally administered through a traditional syringe with a needle. Used alongside the oral vaccine drops, it can boost immunity. The campaign across the eastern region aimed to protect more than 1.2 million children under the age of 5 from polio. Fifty districts, four provinces, and more than 10,000 dedicated polio workers joined forces — and uniting it all was a groundbreaking innovation never before used in the country’s polio eradication efforts.
Instead of shots, the vaccinators introduced jet injectors, spring-powered devices that deliver a tiny stream of vaccine through the outer layer of skin in a split second. There was no needle, no fear, and no pain. Just a quick press, a soft click, and protection delivered with a smile.”
Read the complete story HERE.
It appeared in the May 2026 issue of Rotary magazine.
“These ‘intradermal jet injectors’ are a game changer for polio eradication. This technology enables the vaccinators in polio endemic countries to deliver the IPV that is necessary to finally eradicate polio.
Needle phobia is fairly common. About 15 percent of adults often choose not to get vaccines because of a fear of needles. That's why technologies like jet injectors or micro patches, which deliver vaccines without needles, is so important.” Paul A. Offit, MD
Omid Farooq is a communications officer for the World Health Organization. A version of this story was originally published by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Learn more at polioeradication.org.