KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A local source in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province has reported two cases of polio, where children aged 5 and 4 have been diagnosed with the disease.
The source told KabulNow Saturday on condition of anonymity that the children are currently living in Kandahar’s Shah Wali Kot and Arghistan districts. They had previously been living in Pakistan and returned to Afghanistan recently with their families.
Following the detection of these two cases, the Taliban authorities in Kandahar have reportedly commenced a polio vaccination campaign in many districts of the province, including the two districts where polio cases were detected.
With two additional cases reported earlier in eastern Kunar and Nuristan provinces, the total number of polio cases has reached four so far this year. Last year, the country recorded six cases, all in the eastern Nangarhar province, which borders Pakistan.
Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the last two countries grappling with endemic polio—an incurable and highly infectious disease capable of causing crippling paralysis and even fatalities in young children.
The virus grows in the intestinal system and is shed through feces. The infection typically spreads in areas with poor water and sewage sanitation, and the disease is only preventable by safe and effective vaccines.
The Taliban, which has historically impeded polio eradication efforts, faces a significant challenge in combating the disease. Recently, it announced plans to launch a new phase of vaccination campaigns in several provinces starting next Monday.
Pakistan continues to report new cases of active poliovirus primarily in regions that share borders with Afghanistan. Recently, it reported two new cases in Balochistan and Sindh provinces, bringing the total number of positive cases to eight this year.
Vaccination efforts in both Afghanistan and Pakistan often encounter obstacles due to conspiracy theories in rural areas that falsely connect polio vaccination to infertility or fears that the vaccinators are being used for espionage.
