Afghanistan reports its third Polio case in 2023

The healthcare status of Afghanistan appears to be in peril as the country has reported its third Polio case this year. Khaama Press recently reported that the health authorities had reported a new polio case in the Nazyan district of the Nangarhar province. As per the report, a 30-month-old child has been infected with this disease, which was likely triggered by low sanitation and poor personal hygiene practices. Afghanistan’s stand-in public health minister Qalandar Ibaad has instructed the polio vaccine workers to speed up vaccinations in the region.  

This year’s first polio case was recorded on May 13, and it was also from Nangarhar province. While most of the world successfully eradicated polio long ago, Afghanistan continues to deal with this crisis. The healthcare administration of this country has been struggling to keep up with the nation’s healthcare problems ever since the Taliban’s takeover. They took over the power structures in the country in 2021 after the American military vacated the region, which led to absolute chaos in the country. While the Taliban has settled in as the sole power centre of the country, its internal politics continues to remain unstable.