KABUL – Health authorities in Uruzgan province have confirmed a new case of polio, bringing Afghanistan’s total infections this year to nine, officials said on Saturday.
According to a health source, the latest patient is an eight-month-old girl from the Langar area of Chora district who tested positive for the virus. A medical team from the Uruzgan Provincial Public Health Directorate visited the area and, after testing two suspected cases, confirmed one infection.
The source added that the child’s family had previously refused to vaccinate their children against the disease.
With this case, Uruzgan has reported its first polio infection of 2025. Other confirmed cases include three in Helmand, one in Badghis, one in Nuristan, two in Paktika, and one in Farah.
Health officials also reported that at least 55 environmental samples containing the poliovirus have been detected across Afghanistan so far this year.
Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only two countries in the world where polio has not been eradicated. So far in 2025, a total of 38 cases have been recorded in both nations.
Efforts to eliminate the virus continue to face significant challenges, including misinformation, vaccine refusal in some communities, and restrictions imposed by the Taliban on female health workers, who play a critical role in reaching children in conservative areas.
The new case comes as a fresh polio vaccination campaign began in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday, part of an ongoing push to wipe out the disease once and for all.
