WHO: Stronger Healthcare System Key to Ending Polio in Afghanistan
\n———————————
\nAfghanistan could eliminate wild poliovirus within the next 12 months if vaccination efforts are reinforced by stronger healthcare services and closer coordination among health partners, the World Health Organization (WHO) said following high-level meetings in Kabul.<\/p>\n
WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Hanan Balkhy said ending transmission of the virus will require more than nationwide vaccination campaigns. She said strengthening routine immunization, maintaining essential health services, and improving the country\u2019s healthcare system are all critical to achieving polio eradication.<\/p>\n
Her remarks came after meetings with Abdul Salam Hanafi, the Taliban\u2019s administrative deputy prime minister, Christopher Elias, President of Global Development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, senior WHO and UNICEF officials, and Qatar\u2019s ambassador to Afghanistan. According to the WHO, the discussions focused on accelerating efforts to eliminate polio and strengthening Afghanistan\u2019s health system to improve access to essential services.<\/p>\n
The WHO said the current security environment has created greater opportunities to expand vaccination campaigns in parts of Afghanistan that were previously difficult to reach. However, the agency stressed that progress can only be sustained through continued cooperation among health authorities, international partners, local communities, and humanitarian organizations.<\/p>\n
Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only two countries where wild poliovirus is still endemic. Although the global eradication campaign has reduced cases by more than 99 percent since its launch in 1988, health experts say the virus can only be declared eradicated once transmission is completely interrupted worldwide.<\/p>\n
Despite progress, public health experts have continued to express concern over restrictions on door-to-door vaccination campaigns in parts of Afghanistan. In recent years, vaccination teams have increasingly been required to administer vaccines at mosques or designated community sites instead of visiting homes, a policy that health experts say may reduce coverage by making it more difficult to reach every eligible child.<\/p>\n
Aid organizations have also warned that Afghanistan\u2019s fragile healthcare system, shortages of trained health workers, funding gaps, and limited access to remote communities continue to challenge disease prevention efforts. Interruptions to routine immunization can leave children vulnerable not only to polio but also to other vaccine-preventable diseases.<\/p>\n
According to WHO data, Afghanistan recorded 25 confirmed cases of wild poliovirus in 2025 and six additional cases so far in 2026. While the decline suggests progress in reducing transmission, health officials caution that even a single confirmed infection indicates the virus is still circulating and capable of spreading.<\/p>\n
Pakistan has also continued nationwide vaccination campaigns, most recently targeting more than 45 million children under the age of five. Health authorities in both countries have repeatedly emphasized the importance of cross-border coordination, noting that frequent population movement between Afghanistan and Pakistan can contribute to the continued spread of the virus.<\/p>\n
The WHO said achieving a polio-free Afghanistan will depend on sustained vaccination campaigns, stronger primary healthcare services, uninterrupted international support, and continued public confidence in immunization programs. The agency said long-term investment in the country\u2019s healthcare system will be essential to ensuring that gains against polio are maintained and that future outbreaks are prevented.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WHO: Stronger Healthcare System Key to Ending Polio in Afghanistan ——————————— Afghanistan could eliminate wild poliovirus within the next 12 months if vaccination efforts are reinforced by stronger healthcare services and closer coordination among health partners, the World Health Organization (WHO) said following high-level meetings in Kabul. WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Hanan …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":143777,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_108372464460192_245495985553329":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-143778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-afghanistan"],"yoast_head":"\n