KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A new round of polio vaccination campaign will begin across 17 provinces in Afghanistan on Monday, the organization Polio Free Afghanistan announced.
In a post on X, the organization said that this round of vaccinations will focus on the eastern and southern provinces, while northern Kunduz, parts of Kabul, northern Balkh, and western Herat will also be included.
The organization urged parents and community members to ensure their children receive the vaccine to prevent further spread of the virus.
No details have been provided on the duration of the campaign or the total number of children expected to be vaccinated. A similar drive took place last month in the regions, reaching thousands of children.
The launch comes as Afghanistan reports its ninth wild polio case this year. The most recent infection was confirmed last month in Uruzgan province, where an eight-month-old girl tested positive. Other cases in 2025 include three in Helmand, and single cases in Badghis, Nuristan, Paktika, and Farah provinces. In 2024, Afghanistan recorded 25 human polio cases, all in southern and eastern provinces bordering Pakistan.
In addition to human cases, at least 55 environmental samples containing poliovirus have been detected across Afghanistan this year.
Globally, polio has been largely eradicated through widespread vaccination campaigns, but Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only countries where the disease is still endemic. So far in 2025, Pakistan has reported 30 polio cases.
Vaccination efforts in both countries face challenges, including misinformation, community resistance, and, in Afghanistan, restrictions on female health workers who are essential for reaching households in conservative areas.
