Polio Case Confirmed in Afghanistan

Kamal Shah, with the United Nations Children's Fund Polio Eradication Program in Afghanistan, told Azadi Radio on May 11, 2023, that a four-year-old child was infected with polio in Nangarhar. 

He added, "There is a risk that the polio virus will spread to other regions of the country. That's why we request all people to vaccinate their children in the upcoming campaign that will start next Monday to save them from contracting polio."

According to the Afghanistan Ministry of Health, two polio patients were confirmed in 2022, four in 2021, and 56 in 2020.

As of March 2023, over 500,000 people were served in health facilities and hospitals supported by WHO in Afghanistan. 

The U.S. CDC confirmed on March 22, 2023, polio continued to be an international concern and issued a Level 2 Travel Advisory.

Before traveling to any destination listed, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of a polio vaccine.

Various polio vaccines are available in 2023.