Polio Cases May Rise in Kandahar Due Door-to-Door Campaign Limitations, Warns WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that 32 positive cases of poliovirus have been registered in Afghanistan in 2023.

WHO warned that with limitations imposed on door-to-door campaigns in Kandahar, children in this province are facing a significant risk of widespread outbreak of poliovirus.

According to the lastest report of the Poliovirus Emergency Committee meeting in May, five positive poliovirus cases had been registered in Nangarhar province.

The Poliovirus Emergency Committee stressed that during this year, 32 positive poliovirus cases were reported, most of them in the eastern regions, one case in the southern region, and one case in northern Balkh province.

WHO expressed hope that the number of poliovirus victims in Afghanistan is declining and population safety has been increasing, but it emphasised that health programmes need to be continued regularly to fully control the spread of the virus in the region.