25 polio cases detected in Afghanistan last year: WHO

KABUL (Pajhwok): About 25 poliovirus cases surfaced in Afghanistan during the past one year, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

In a statement, WHO wrote since 2024, 92 polio positive cases were recorded in Afghanistan and Pakistan, among them 25 detected in Afghanistan and 67 others in Pakistan.

It said three more poliovirus cases were reported from Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces last week.

In 2024, Afghanistan and Pakistan witnessed an unprecedented increase in cases of the crippling disease compared to the previous year when 92 cases diagnosed.

Polio is an incurable viral disease that causes paralysis in children, and the only way to prevent it is through vaccination.

Afghanistan and Pakistan are two countries where polio remains endemic.

Pajhwok tried to get the opinion of the Ministry of Public Health about positive cases of polio in the country, but failed.

hz/ma