KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The World Health Organization (WFP) has warned that wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) continues to spread in Afghanistan, with the southern regions experiencing intense transmission due to low vaccination coverage and restrictions on house-to-house immunization campaigns.
In a statement, the 44th Meeting of the Polio IHR Emergency Committee highlighted ongoing challenges in Afghanistan’s polio eradication efforts. Since October 2025, five new WPV1 cases have been reported in the country, all in the South and East regions, bringing the total for 2025 to nine cases.
According to the report, at least 64 positive environmental samples have been detected in Afghanistan so far this year, mostly in the southern region.
“Intense transmission continues in southern Afghanistan,” the Committee said. “Low vaccination coverage and limited house-to-house campaigns are driving the spread.”
Afghanistan has relied mainly on site-to-site vaccination campaigns, where parents bring children to designated locations. The WHO noted this approach has reduced coverage in remote and conflict-affected districts, compounded by a shortage of female health workers needed to reach children in conservative communities.
According to the report, in 2025, Afghanistan conducted two nationwide and five sub-national polio vaccination rounds, alongside targeted fractional IPV campaigns in the East, South, and Southeast regions. Despite these efforts, significant gaps in coverage remain, allowing the virus to circulate in certain areas.
Genetic analyses show WPV1 continues circulating among populations with low immunization. Cross-border transmission with Pakistan remains a concern, particularly along the southern corridor linking southern Afghanistan with Quetta in Pakistan.
Operational challenges, insecurity, and community hesitancy continue to hamper vaccination campaigns. WHO urged Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities to maximize site-to-site campaigns and explore feasible house-to-house strategies to curb transmission through 2026.
Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only countries where wild poliovirus has not been eradicated. In 2025, Afghanistan reported nine polio cases, all in eastern and southern regions. Transmission persists in border and tribal areas due to insecurity, population movements, and vaccine hesitancy, with some families refusing immunization because of misconceptions and distrust.
In Pakistan, the report noted that WPV1 transmission is concentrated in South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Karachi, while other provinces showed declines. Vaccination campaigns in Pakistan have achieved high reported coverage, but insecurity and operational gaps have left some children unreached. Cross-border coordination with Afghanistan remains critical to controlling the virus and preventing further outbreaks in both countries.
