Polio cases in Afghanistan rise to six in 2026 as two new cases confirmed
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that the number of confirmed polio cases in Afghanistan has risen to six in 2026, following the detection of two new infections in the country.
According to the WHO, one of the newly confirmed cases was identified in Nari district of Kunar province, while the other was reported in Nahr-e-Siraj district of Helmand province. The organization also stated that 34 positive environmental samples of wild poliovirus have been recorded in Afghanistan so far this year.
The report adds that in 2025, a total of 52 wild poliovirus type 1 cases were confirmed across Afghanistan and Pakistan, including 21 cases in Afghanistan and 31 in Pakistan.
WHO further noted that in 2026 so far, nine wild poliovirus type 1 cases have been reported across both countries, with six in Afghanistan and three in Pakistan.
Health experts say that low public awareness, resistance from some families to vaccination campaigns, and limited access to remote areas remain key factors behind the continued spread of the disease.
They emphasize that polio is incurable and vaccination is the only effective way to prevent infection.
Public health specialists also stress the need to expand immunization coverage, particularly in hard-to-reach areas, and to strengthen public awareness campaigns, warning that eradication efforts will remain difficult without broad community cooperation.
Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus is still endemic and has not been fully eradicated.
