On Aug. 17, 2026, the Kabul Tribune reported that a polio vaccination campaign will begin in five Afghan provinces as the country continues to report cases of the disease, the Polio-Free Afghanistan organization said.

The campaign will be carried out in Nangarhar, Kunar, Kabul, Herat and Farah provinces.

The vaccination drive comes as Afghanistan continues to detect cases of wild poliovirus. The World Health Organization confirmed in late July that four new cases of wild poliovirus had been identified in three Afghan provinces within one week.

The latest cases brought the total number of confirmed polio cases in Afghanistan since the beginning of 2026 to 11, according to the report.

Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan are the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus has not been eradicated. Health authorities and aid organizations have continued vaccination campaigns in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading, particularly among children who remain vulnerable to the highly infectious disease.