From left to right: Photo of APMIS focal point Razia Mahmodi and Claudia Moya, Senior Project Manager for The Task Force for Global Health’s TEPHINET program.
Photo courtesy of Sumon Ray.
One Data System Paving the Way to End Polio in Afghanistan
Razia Mahmodi, Dr. Hashim Ali Elzein Elmousaad and Claudia Moya
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Data collectors at an APMIS training in Afghanistan.Photo courtesy of Dr. Elmousaad
In 2021, after working for five years as a data manager for the Polio Eradication Initiative with the World Health Organization (WHO) in Afghanistan, Razia learned that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the WHO, and Afghanistan’s National Emergency Operation Center (NEOC) were joining forces to create a new system called the Afghanistan Polio Management Information System (APMIS) for managing polio vaccination data. Recognizing how essential such a platform would be to advancing polio eradication efforts, she sought to get involved. Drawing on her skills, experience and deep familiarity with the data, she provided valuable input to the system’s development.
The APMIS is a specialized digital platform developed to support the management, tracking, and coordination of polio eradication efforts in Afghanistan. It is designed to improve data collection, analysis, and reporting related to polio vaccination campaigns. APMIS helps health authorities and partners monitor vaccination coverage, identify gaps, and respond effectively to efforts aimed at eradicating poliovirus in the country.
Afghanistan is one of just two countries where wild poliovirus has not yet been eradicated (the other is Pakistan) and the eastern part of the country has been deemed a “consequential geography” by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, as the densely populated home to one of the highest proportions of children who are either unvaccinated or under-vaccinated, and communities that are difficult to reach.
In 2021, Mahmodi became the main focal point for APMIS and teamed up with an international team of scientists, developers and informaticians to create the data system. APMIS was first implemented in the Eastern region of Afghanistan, which had experienced a steady surge in polio cases.
Dr. Hashim checking vaccination data at a cross-border point. Photo courtesy of Dr. Elmousaad
As of May 2025, more than 7,000 health workers across Afghanistan were actively using the APMIS platform to support real-time data collection and tracking of polio vaccination efforts. Through mobile and web-based applications, frontline workers recorded detailed information on vaccinated children, identified missed children, and flagged areas with low coverage. The system provided supervisors and decision-makers with timely dashboards and geospatial insights, enabling more targeted interventions and rapid follow-up in high-risk zones. This widespread adoption of APMIS strengthened coordination between national and international partners, improved campaign accountability, and significantly enhanced Afghanistan’s capacity to reach under-vaccinated populations in its most challenging and remote regions.
“The APMIS web system has a complementary Android app that frontline campaign workers can install on their phones,” said Mahmodi. “They can enter data into the app in real time. Even without a stable internet connection, they can work offline, and once reconnected, submit the data to the system. This ensures we don’t miss any data collection deadlines. Decision-making becomes easier for us because the system analyzes the data automatically, showing the status of campaigns and helping us address any issues promptly.”
While developing the system APMIS collaborators realized they needed a strong advocate to ensure that the system would be widely used.
They reached out to the highly regarded polio eradicator Dr. Hashim Ali Elzein Elmousaad, who had cross-border experience with Pakistan and Afghanistan. Dr. Elmousaad is a core team member of the Global Polio Eradication Hub in Amman and a consultant with The Task Force’s Training Programs in Epidemiology and Public Health Interventions Network (TEPHINET) program which is the global network of field epidemiology training programs strengthening public health systems globally.
“Data timeliness is needed, particularly in campaigns,” said Dr. Elmousaad, who has more than 40 years of experience. “This data management system will help the programs in Afghanistan to really have solid data for organizing their polio campaign. By the end of the day, we need to know which children were missed. You cannot do it with excel sheets. Practically, you can do it, but you cannot get the timeliness. This system is revolutionary for managing the polio program in Afghanistan. People will know which areas were not reached.”
Claudia Moya, Senior Project Manager for TEPHINET, works with CDC on the project management aspect of APMIS.
“What is so inspiring about this data management system is that it has been a long labor of love between unique partners,” said Moya. “Working with different authorities in Afghanistan, the previous government, the current authorities, working with partners at the Global Polio Eradication Hub in Amman, WHO, CDC, UNICEF, our developers in Nigeria, and being able to be so nimble and be so open and receptive to feedback from all angles was amazing to witness. We came up with a pretty seamless product that is simple enough for any of us to use on our phones, on tablets, on laptops. We are seeing this great data to make decisions and create trust.”
Because of polio eradicators like Dr. Hashim Elmousaad, Razia Mahmodi and Claudia Moya, APMIS is being incorporated in the national polio plan for Afghanistan so that no child will ever miss a polio vaccine and have to suffer from this paralyzing disease.
“I am proud to be a member of this broader polio eradication team and to contribute to the effort—especially through the APMIS data system, the first of its kind for my home country—and to know that it will have a significant impact on eradicating polio and improving the health of the younger generation in Afghanistan,” said Mahmodi. “Data tells a story. It shows us the current state of our polio campaign activities and guides the direction we should take.”
APMIS data collectors in Afghanistan. Photo courtesy of Dr. Hashim.