Six new polio cases reported in Afghanistan this week
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Voanews
The World Health Organization has reported six new cases of wild poliovirus type 1 in Afghanistan, in Kandahar, Nangarhar and Kabul provinces. The country accounts for 42 of the 48 cases recorded worldwide this year, compared with 21 of 52 in 2025, according to the WHO.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported six new cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in Afghanistan this week, in Kandahar, Nangarhar and Kabul provinces, according to VOA. The country now has 42 of the 48 cases recorded worldwide since the beginning of 2026, compared with six in Pakistan.
In 2025, the WHO recorded 52 cases worldwide: 21 in Afghanistan and 31 in Pakistan. The two countries are the last where wild poliovirus type 1 continues to circulate. In Afghanistan, two cases were reported in 2022 and six in 2023, before the Taliban authorities banned door-to-door vaccination campaigns in September 2024, replacing them with vaccinations at designated locations.
Kamal Shah, a former UNICEF communications official, told VOA that gaps in vaccination campaigns were making it harder to eradicate the disease. He also cited a lack of awareness and child malnutrition as contributing factors. World Polio Day will be observed on 24 October.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
