KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A health source in Kandahar province, southern Afghanistan, reports a newly confirmed polio case, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 12.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told KabulNow that the latest case was detected in Spin Boldak district in recent days.
According to the source, the new case brings the total number of confirmed polio cases in Kandahar to 12 so far.
The confirmed cases include three in Kandahar city, four in Arghistan, two in Spin Boldak, one in Dand, one in Maiwand, and one in Shah Wali Kot district.
The health source also noted that at least 25 environmental polio cases have been recorded in Kandahar to date.
The source expressed concern over the spread of polio in Kandahar, warning that the number of cases could rise in the province and neighboring areas, particularly in Helmand and Uruzgan.
The Taliban health authorities had previously reported nine confirmed polio cases in Afghanistan, with seven in the southern provinces and two in the eastern provinces.
The health source noted that while the Taliban, in collaboration with international organizations, recently launched a vaccination campaign in Kandahar and other provinces, it has been limited to mosques only.
However, Dr. Jamaluddin, head of mass immunization at the Taliban’s Public Health Directorate in Kandahar, said that efforts are underway to shift the vaccination approach from mosques to the previous door-to-door method.
While polio has been eradicated globally due to mass vaccination efforts, Afghanistan and its neighbor, Pakistan, still grapple with the disease, which can cause severe 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 can only be prevented through safe and effective vaccines.
Last year, six polio cases were recorded in Afghanistan, and in 2022, two cases were reported, all in eastern provinces that share a border with Pakistan.
Pakistan continues to report new cases of active poliovirus, with 16 cases of wild poliovirus confirmed so far this year.
Before their takeover of Afghanistan, the Taliban consistently prohibited door-to-door immunization efforts and targeted vaccination workers in the southern and eastern regions of the country. Additionally, the group’s insurgency against the Western-backed government was a major obstacle to the vaccination campaign.
However, since their return to power, the regime has been facing a challenge that had previously impeded eradication efforts.
