New Polio Vaccination Campaign to Begin in Afghanistan as 25 Cases Are Reported
A nationwide polio vaccination campaign is set to begin across Afghanistan on Monday, Sept. 30, as fresh reports point to a rise in confirmed cases of the disease in the country. The Polio Foundation has asked families and citizens to cooperate with health workers to ensure the vaccine reaches children.
According to the latest joint report from the World Health Organization and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the number of polio cases in Afghanistan had risen to 25 in 2026. The figure includes two new cases in Helmand and Nuristan provinces and shows that the southern region remains the main centre of virus circulation.
The Polio Foundation said the campaign in the southern provinces will begin one day later. According to the organisation, implementation in these provinces will start on Tuesday, Oct. 1, due to technical measures.
International organisations have previously warned that restrictions on women’s presence in the health sector and the lack of safe access for medical teams to villages have created serious obstacles to eradicating the disease. The World Health Organization has also said that the suspension of house-to-house vaccination campaigns since October 2024 has left many young children in remote areas without these vital drops.
Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only two countries in the world where polio has not been fully eradicated. Polio is a paralysing viral disease that mainly affects children, and controlling it depends on the regular continuation of nationwide vaccination campaigns.
