The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has announced that the number of confirmed polio cases in Afghanistan has reached 36, and efforts to eradicate the disease are continuing.
The organisation reported on Monday, October 19, that Afghanistan is one of only two countries in the world where the poliovirus remains present.
According to the report, a nationwide polio vaccination campaign began on September 21 to eradicate the disease, with support from humanitarian partners.
The campaign targets more than 12.7 million children under the age of five and aims to reduce the risk of virus transmission and protect children against the disease.
OCHA said that most polio cases reported in 2026 have been in southern and eastern Afghanistan.
The provinces of Helmand, Kandahar and Nangarhar have recorded the highest numbers of cases.
The organisation stressed the need to maintain high vaccination coverage and strengthen surveillance systems to ensure that new cases are detected quickly and measures are taken to prevent the disease from spreading.
