Afghanistan reported the first case of poliovirus in 2025 in the Western province of Badghis.

According to officials, the polio virus was confirmed in a 5-year-old girl in the Balamarghab district. It is the second case in the province since last year.

The Afghan Taliban suspended the door-to-door polio vaccination campaign in 16 provinces of Afghanistan last year for a month over security fears. The Taliban announced that mosques would be designated as vaccination centres, where families could bring their children for polio drops to be administered.

Pakistan has already confirmed two cases of polio in the country in the new year.

Polio has been wiped out from the planet but remains endemic in only two countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2024, Pakistan reported 74 cases while Afghanistan reported 25.

The disease has no cure but is preventable through vaccination. However, vaccination efforts have been affected by religious propaganda as well as terrorism threats.