Zahra lives in Baghlan province. Her mother said she was paralyzed two years ago.
Five-year-old Zahra cannot walk after contracting polio, her mother told Amu TV, as her family struggles with the lasting effects of a disease that Afghanistan has yet to eradicate.
World Health Organization figures show Afghanistan recorded 42 polio cases in the first 10 months of 2026, double the 21 cases recorded during the same period last year.
Zahra, who lives in Baghlan province, has been paralyzed for two years, according to her mother, Noor Begum.
Her mother said Zahra had not received the polio vaccine because it was not available to the family in their area. After Zahra contracted the disease, doctors were unable to reverse the paralysis, she said.
“She has been paralyzed for two years. I struggle a lot caring for her,” Noor Begum told Amu TV. “She cannot eat properly. One of her hands works, but the other does not.”
Her story comes as Afghanistan marked World Polio Day on Oct. 24 amid concerns over an increase in infections.
Six new polio cases were confirmed in Afghanistan over the past week, according to WHO figures, including three in Kandahar, two in Nangarhar and one in Kabul’s Musahi district.
Afghanistan recorded six polio cases in 2023, 25 in 2024 and 21 in 2025, according to WHO data.
Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only countries where wild poliovirus has not been eradicated.
Nawida, a Kabul resident, told Amu TV that the continued spread of the virus has caused concern among families.
“Polio has really worried everyone,” she said. “The fight against this disease must be taken seriously by both the public and the government.”
Health experts have emphasized the importance of reaching children through vaccination campaigns.
Ferozuddin Feroz, a former Afghan public health minister, told Amu TV that door-to-door vaccination remains the most effective way to eradicate the disease.
“If we want to eradicate polio in Afghanistan, the best, easiest and most effective strategy is to go to people’s homes,” Feroz said. “No household should be missed during a campaign.”
WHO and UNICEF have cited gaps in vaccination coverage, security challenges, weaknesses in health services and cross-border transmission with Pakistan among obstacles to eradicating polio in Afghanistan.
Taliban authorities have not permitted house-to-house polio vaccination campaigns since October 2024. Vaccinations have instead been administered through fixed sites and designated locations, limiting health workers’ ability to reach every eligible child.
World Polio Day is observed annually on Oct. 24 to raise awareness of the disease and the importance of vaccination as part of global efforts to eradicate polio.