Afghanistan risks polio outbreak as Taliban restricts women from delivering vaccines

Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan are the only countries where polio is still endemic and female health workers have been crucial to reaching children. ‘In those areas where we have female workers, we don’t have cases of polio,’ an official said of the ban. Photograph: M Sadiq/EPA

Afghanistan is at risk of a polio outbreak, health officials have warned, after the Taliban suspended the vaccination campaign over security fears and restrictions on women.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed 18 new cases of polio infection in the country so far this year, a significant increase from the six cases reported in 2023. Local healthcare workers say these numbers could be higher as many cases will not yet have been detected.