KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – A new polio vaccination campaign will begin across Afghanistan on Monday, the Polio Free Afghanistan initiative said, as the country recorded 42 cases of the disease so far this year, the highest number globally.
In a post on X on Sunday, the initiative urged families to ensure their children receive polio vaccinations to help prevent the spread of the virus.
The initiative did not provide details on the campaign’s duration or the number of children it aims to reach.
Afghanistan has also recorded 93 positive environmental samples for poliovirus this year, with the highest number detected in the country’s southern provinces, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The country reported 21 confirmed polio cases in 2025.
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that mainly affects children under five. It spreads through contaminated food and water or close contact and can cause permanent paralysis and, in some cases, death. There is no cure for the disease, but vaccination can prevent infection.
Global vaccination efforts have reduced wild poliovirus cases by more than 99% since 1988. However, transmission continues in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, the only two countries where the virus remains endemic.
Pakistan has reported six human polio cases and 137 positive environmental samples so far this year.
Vaccination efforts in both countries have faced challenges, including insecurity, difficult terrain, and misinformation that has fueled resistance to immunization in some communities.
The WHO says maintaining high vaccination coverage, conducting uninterrupted immunization campaigns, and ensuring every child receives the vaccine are essential to eradicating polio in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
