KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A new round of polio vaccinations will begin across Afghanistan on Monday, marking the country’s first nationwide immunization campaign of 2026 in one of only two countries where the virus remains endemic, the “Polio Free Afghanistan” initiative said.
In a statement posted on X on Wednesday, the initiative said the campaign would be carried out in multiple regions. It did not provide details on the duration, specific provinces targeted, or the number of children expected to be vaccinated.
Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan are the only countries where wild poliovirus type 1 continues to circulate, despite decades of global eradication efforts. Both countries face challenges, including insecurity in some areas and persistent misinformation about vaccination programs.
No polio cases have been reported in Afghanistan so far this year. In 2025, the country recorded nine confirmed cases, most of them in eastern and southern provinces.
Pakistan reported 31 polio cases in 2025, mainly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, which share long borders with Afghanistan and are considered high-risk areas for cross-border transmission.
The Taliban, which has historically hindered polio eradication efforts, including through attacks on vaccinators, now faces a significant challenge in controlling the disease.
