According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) this week, Afghanistan reported four new wild poliovirus (WPV-1) cases in three Afghan provinces over the past week - Hirat, Hilmand and Nangarhar (2) - bringing the country’s total since the start of 2026 to 11.
Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus (WPV-1) is still endemic.
Since the beginning of the year, Pakistan reported three WPV-1 cases.
In the early 1990s, Pakistan and Afghanistan experienced a high burden of polio, with Pakistan reporting an estimated 20,000 cases annually and Afghanistan approximately 2000. Due to intensified eradication efforts since 1994 under the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, polio cases in Afghanistan and Pakistan have decreased dramatically. As of July 2026, 14 cases have been reported across both countries.
India’s major milestone: one-year polio free
Mass polio vaccination campaigns, which have proven to be very effective, resulting in a > 99% decrease in the total number of worldwide cases, from an estimated 350,000 in 1988 to what we see today. Moreover, the number of endemic countries has decreased from 125 in 1988, the two countries today.
Polio with WHO spokesperson, Oliver Rosenbauer
Polio (poliomyelitis) is caused by a highly contagious virus that attacks the nervous system and can lead to paralysis and death. The virus infects unimmunized children through ingestion of contaminated water and food, and it spreads back to the environment through their feces. Interestingly, 90% of infected individuals do not exhibit any symptoms and remain undetected yet are carriers of the virus, which can spread to others.