Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Pashto article.
The World Health Organization has reported six new poliovirus cases in Afghanistan this week.
In a statement, the WHO said that the six cases of wild poliovirus type 1, or WPV1, were reported in the provinces of Kandahar, Nangarhar, and Kabul.
The WHO said so far this year, 48 positive cases of the wild poliovirus have been registered globally, 42 of which are in Afghanistan and six in Pakistan.
The number represents a sharp increase from last year.
In 2025, 52 positive wild poliovirus cases were reported worldwide, including 21 in Afghanistan and 31 in Pakistan.
Before the Taliban imposed a ban on house-to-house polio vaccination in Afghanistan, the number of positive poliovirus cases was low. There were only two reported cases in 2022 and six in 2023.
However, the Taliban, in September 2024, banned house-to-house vaccination campaigns, and the only through site-to-site, including vaccination at mosque and other designated locations.
Polio is an infectious viral disease that largely affects children under 5 years of age.
WPV1 is one of three original strains of wild poliovirus that attacks the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis or death.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the two remaining countries where cases of wild poliovirus type 1 are still reported.
The wild poliovirus types 2 and 3 have been declared eradicated in 2015 and 2019.
New cases are being reported in Afghanistan as the world prepares to mark World Polio Day on Saturday, Oct. 24.
The day is celebrated to raise awareness of the importance of polio vaccination and honor the work of volunteers, health professionals and parents toward eradicating the disease.
Kamal Shah, a former UNICEF communications officer, told VOA that Afghanistan's polio eradication program faces serious challenges as cases rise.
“One of the main issues in implementing the polio eradication campaign is shortcomings in vaccination campaigns,” he said.
Shah added that the lack of public awareness about the virus and other factors, such as malnutrition in children, are compounding the country’s polio problem.