KABUL, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Seven new cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) have been confirmed in southern and northern Afghanistan, bringing the country's total to 32 cases so far in 2026, local media outlet TOLOnews reported on Wednesday, citing the World Health Organization (WHO).
Four of the infections were identified in Panjwayi district of Kandahar province, two in Nahr-e Saraj and Kajaki districts of Helmand province in the south, and one in Baghlani Jadid district of Baghlan province in the north, according to the report.
Afghan health authorities, working alongside international partners, continue intensive efforts to eradicate the debilitating disease among children in the war-ravaged nation.
The Ministry of Public Health launched a four-day nationwide polio vaccination campaign on Monday, targeting more than 12.7 million children under the age of five.
Afghanistan reported 21 WPV1 cases in 2025, according to WHO data. The latest figures underscore the continued challenge of interrupting transmission in the country.
Afghan authorities have attributed the recent increase in cases largely to the large-scale return of Afghan refugees from neighboring Pakistan, where wild poliovirus transmission also persists.
Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the world's few countries with endemic transmission of wild poliovirus. ■
