KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – One new case of wild poliovirus has been confirmed in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province, bringing the country’s total this year to 36, the highest number recorded globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
According to the WHO’s latest update, released on Monday, the new case was detected in Nangarhar’s Surkh Rod district on September 5.
The WHO also reported a new positive environmental sample for poliovirus in Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province last month, bringing the total number of positive environmental samples recorded in Afghanistan this year to 92.
Afghanistan currently has the highest number of polio cases in the world. Infections have increased this year after the country reported 21 confirmed cases in 2025.
Pakistan, the only other country still grappling with wild poliovirus transmission, also recorded a new case last month in Khyber district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Its total number of confirmed cases this year has reached six, compared with 31 cases reported in 2025.
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that primarily affects children under five. It spreads through contaminated food and water and can cause irreversible paralysis or death. There is no cure, but vaccination provides effective protection.
Global immunization campaigns have reduced wild poliovirus cases by more than 99% since 1988. However, transmission continues in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where efforts to eradicate the disease face challenges including insecurity, difficult terrain and community resistance, sometimes fuelled by misinformation about vaccines.
The WHO has emphasized the importance of maintaining high vaccination coverage, conducting uninterrupted immunization campaigns and ensuring that every child receives the vaccine to prevent further transmission and eliminate the disease in both countries.
