WHO Reports Six New Polio Cases in Afghanistan, Raising 2026 Total to 42
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported six new positive polio cases in Afghanistan this week.
According to the WHO report, three cases were recorded in Kandahar, two in the Bati Kot and Goshta districts of Nangarhar, and one in the Musahi district of Kabul. With these six new cases, the total number of confirmed polio cases in Afghanistan in 2026 has risen to 42.
The WHO report states: “The newly reported polio cases include three from Kandahar province, two from Nangarhar province, one each from Bati Kot and Goshta districts, and one from Musahi district in Kabul province. The onset of symptoms in these cases was recorded between August 25 and September 9, 2026.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health has rejected reports of confirmed polio cases in the country, describing them as suspected cases.
The ministry’s spokesperson said a special team has been established to investigate the reports. The team will travel to the provinces where the cases were reported to conduct detailed assessments and verify the claims.
Sharafat Zaman Amarkhail, spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health, said: “The cases reported last year and this year were both suspicious. Last year, several positive cases were reported, but when our team visited the affected areas, the health conditions of those individuals did not match those of polio patients and were significantly different from the disease. For this reason, a team has also been formed this year and has begun investigating and verifying the reported cases.”
Doctors, meanwhile, have emphasized the importance of increasing vaccination coverage and raising public awareness about the benefits of vaccination.
Pasarlai Abdul Rahman, a doctor, said: “International organizations can invest more in this area and support institutions operating in Afghanistan to help eradicate polio from the country.”
Munibullah Zaheen, another doctor, said: “There is generally no cure for polio, and vaccination is the only way to prevent it. To eliminate this disease from our country, families must cooperate with vaccinators during every vaccination campaign to ensure their children are vaccinated.”
Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only two countries in the world where indigenous wild poliovirus continues to circulate.
According to the WHO, cross-border movement between the two countries, low vaccination coverage in some areas, insecurity, and vaccinators’ inability to reach all children are among the major challenges to eradicating the disease.
