KABUL, Afghanistan — Polio cases in Afghanistan have quadrupled in 2024 compared with the previous year, according to the World Health Organization, raising concerns about the country’s ability to control the disease amid disruptions to vaccination efforts.
Afghanistan recorded six polio cases in 2023, but that number has jumped to 25 so far in 2024. Kandahar has reported 12 cases, Helmand eight, Uruzgan two, and Paktika, Kunar, and Nuristan one each. In a worrying development, polio has also re-emerged in Badghis province in western Afghanistan, an area that had been free of reported cases for more than a year.
The increase comes after the Taliban halted house-to-house vaccination campaigns in September 2024, initially in Kandahar and Helmand and later across other regions. Health experts say the decision has left many children unprotected, particularly in rural areas where access to medical facilities is limited.
In Badghis, a five-year-old girl from Bala Murghab district was recently diagnosed with polio, marking the province’s first confirmed case in over a year. “A five-year-old child from Qoroto village in Bala Murghab district has been confirmed to have polio after necessary examinations,” said Mohammad Yousuf Najmi, head of the vaccination department at the Badghis Public Health Directorate.
The suspension of door-to-door vaccinations has alarmed many Afghan parents, who say they are struggling to get their children immunized. “Before, vaccinators came to our homes, and our children were protected,” said Lida Stanakzai, a resident of Kabul. “Now, they tell us to take them to mosques, but that’s difficult, especially in extreme weather.”
A resident of Herat echoed the concern, saying the new system has made it harder for families to keep up with immunization schedules. “Twice, I didn’t even know they were vaccinating in the mosque, so my children missed their doses,” he said. “I had no choice but to take them to a health clinic.”
Following the confirmation of the Badghis case, the organization Afghanistan Free of Polio announced on the social media platform X that a new polio vaccination campaign will begin on Monday.
