KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Afghanistan has reported its first case of polio in 2025, with a 5-year-old girl from the northwestern province of Badghis confirmed to have contracted the virus.
The Taliban’s Directorate of Public Health in Badghis announced on Friday that the girl, originally from the Bala Murghab district, has been diagnosed with the wild poliovirus.
This case comes after a significant rise in polio cases in Afghanistan last year. In 2024, the country recorded 25 cases, with the southern Kandahar province, bordering Pakistan, accounting for over half—14 cases. 2023 saw six cases, all recorded in eastern Nangarhar province. The year 2022 marked a record low for the country, with only two polio cases reported, the lowest in Afghanistan’s history.
Polio is a highly infectious disease that primarily affects children under five. The virus attacks the nervous system and can lead to paralysis or even death. While there is no cure, vaccination remains the most effective means of protection.
Poliovirus has been eliminated in most parts of the world due to widespread vaccination campaigns, but Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only countries where it continues to circulate. So far this year, Pakistan has recorded three polio cases. In 2024, the country recorded 73 polio cases, with the majority reported in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
Efforts to vaccinate children in both Afghanistan and Pakistan continue to face significant hurdles. Conspiracy theories in some regions falsely link polio vaccinations to infertility or raise suspicions that vaccinators are spies. These misconceptions have fueled resistance, making it difficult to fully eradicate the virus.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban, which has historically obstructed polio eradication efforts and targeted vaccinators, particularly in the southern parts of the country, is now facing significant challenges in combating the disease.
