KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – Four new cases of wild poliovirus have been confirmed in Afghanistan’s eastern and southern provinces, raising the country’s total this year to 23, the highest number recorded globally, the World Health Organization said.
The latest cases were identified in Kunar, Nuristan, Helmand and Farah provinces in recent weeks, according to the WHO’s most recent update. The UN health agency had previously confirmed 19 cases in Afghanistan this year.
Afghanistan has recorded 23 confirmed human cases of polio and 76 positive environmental samples so far in 2026. Pakistan, the only other country where the virus remains endemic, has reported three cases this year.
Together, Afghanistan and Pakistan have detected 203 positive environmental samples. Most of Afghanistan’s cases have been concentrated in eastern and southern provinces that border Pakistan, where frequent cross-border movement and circulating misinformation about the vaccine continue to hinder containment efforts.
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that primarily affects children under the age of five. It spreads through contaminated food, water or close contact and can cause irreversible paralysis and, in some cases, death. There is no cure, though vaccination provides effective protection.
Global immunization campaigns have reduced wild poliovirus cases by more than 99% since 1988. Transmission now persists only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Vaccination drives in both countries have been hampered by insecurity, difficult terrain and community resistance fueled by misinformation.
The WHO has stressed that maintaining high vaccination coverage, conducting uninterrupted immunization campaigns and ensuring every child is reached remain critical to eliminating the disease in the two countries.
