KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Polio Free Afghanistan has announced the launch of a new round of polio vaccinations across various regions of the country, aimed at curbing the spread of the disease.
The campaign will begin on Monday, January 27, as confirmed in a post by the initiative on X (formerly Twitter). However, the organization has not disclosed which provinces will be covered or how many children are expected to receive the vaccine.
This development follows alarming data from the World Health Organization (WHO), which reported 25 confirmed polio cases in Afghanistan in 2024—the highest number in recent years.
The majority of cases last year were found in the southern and eastern provinces, with Kandahar, Helmand, and Nangarhar being the hardest hit. Of the 25 cases in 2024, 14 were recorded in Kandahar.
Afghanistan recorded just six confirmed polio cases in 2023, all of which were in Nangarhar province, which borders Pakistan.
The resurgence of polio has been exacerbated by ongoing challenges in vaccination efforts, particularly the Taliban’s restrictions on female vaccinators and door-to-door vaccination campaigns.
Afghanistan and Pakistan continue to be the only countries where polio is endemic. Both countries face significant barriers in eradicating the virus, including security concerns and widespread misinformation about vaccination programs.
Pakistan reported 73 confirmed polio cases in 2024, mainly in the provinces of Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Taliban, which has historically obstructed polio eradication efforts, including by targeting vaccinators, now faces an even greater challenge in tackling the disease.
