The World Health Organization has recently announced that four new positive cases of poliomyelitis (polio) have been registered in Afghanistan this week, bringing the total number of confirmed cases of the disease in 2023 to 11.
In a report, the organization stated that the new cases include two from the Behsud and Rodat districts of Nangarhar, one from the Musa Qala district of Helmand, and one from the Shindand district of Herat province.
The World Health Organization further emphasized that the case registered in the Shindand district of Herat was identified through “positive contacts.”
According to the organization’s report, this week also saw 12 environmental positive cases of polio recorded in Afghanistan, which include five cases in Kandahar, four in Nangarhar, two in Kabul, and one in Helmand.
The World Health Organization noted that a total of 46 environmental positive cases of polio have been registered in Afghanistan this year.
In contrast, last year, there were 21 confirmed human cases of polio and 94 environmental cases reported in Afghanistan.
Currently, Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only countries in the world where polio has not been eradicated.
Despite ongoing vaccination campaigns against polio in Afghanistan and Pakistan, recent statistics from the organization indicate that the number of cases in Afghanistan has increased this year.
According to the World Health Organization, three positive cases of polio have also been recorded in Pakistan this year.
