The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that 42 cases of wild poliovirus type 1 were recorded in Afghanistan in 2026.
In a report published on Wednesday, October 21, the organization said that a total of 48 positive polio cases had been identified in Afghanistan and Pakistan this year, including 42 in Afghanistan and six in Pakistan.
According to the report, 52 polio cases were also recorded in the two countries in 2025, of which 21 were reported in Afghanistan and 31 in Pakistan.
The WHO also announced the identification of six new positive polio cases in Afghanistan in 2026, including three in Kandahar, two in Nangarhar and one in Kabul.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) had also reported that most polio cases in Afghanistan had been recorded in the country’s southern and eastern regions.
According to OCHA, Helmand, Kandahar and Nangarhar provinces have recorded the highest numbers of cases.
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