KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported six polio cases in Afghanistan and Pakistan within a week, warning of a growing number of cases in both countries.
In a report on Monday, September 30, WHO stated that three polio cases were recorded in Afghanistan and three in Pakistan within a single week.
The report indicates that the three new cases in Afghanistan were recorded in the southern neighboring provinces of Kandahar and Helmand, with two in Kandahar and one in Helmand.
In Pakistan, the new polio cases were recorded in the provinces of Balochistan, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within a week last month.
Although the poliovirus has been eradicated in other parts of the world due to mass vaccination campaigns, Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only countries where it still exists and continues to affect 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.
The number of polio cases this year is significantly higher than in recent years, with 22 cases recorded in Afghanistan and 24 in Pakistan so far. In 2023, the total was 12, with six cases in each country.
Vaccination efforts in both countries continue to face obstacles due to conspiracy theories in some regions, which falsely link polio vaccination to infertility or raise fears that vaccinators are being used for espionage.
In Afghanistan, polio has been exclusively spreading in the southern and eastern regions that border Pakistan. Last year, all cases were recorded in the eastern Nangarhar province.
The ruling regime in Afghanistan, which has historically hindered polio eradication efforts and targeted vaccinators in the southern parts of the country, faces significant challenges in combating the disease.
The Taliban’s restrictions on women and girls continue to affect the vaccination campaign in Afghanistan, excluding female vaccinators in several provinces or requiring them to be accompanied by a male guardian or mahram.
Last month, the regime suspended a polio vaccination campaign in Kabul, citing the requirement for female vaccinators to be accompanied by a male guardian.
In Kandahar, which has recorded the majority of positive cases this year, the Taliban authorities have restricted vaccinations to be conducted only in mosques, excluding female vaccinators from participating in the campaign.
