Afghanistan’s Polio reporting system is inaccurate: Pakistani Health Officials
Recent data from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative shows that in 2024, Pakistan reported three times more polio cases than Afghanistan. Pakistani officials attribute this disparity to the differences in the accuracy of reporting systems between the two countries.
The Dawn newspaper in Pakistan reported on Monday, January 6, that Afghanistan recorded only 25 polio cases in 2024, while Pakistan reported 68 cases during the same period.
Citing a senior official from Pakistan’s polio eradication program, the report highlighted that Pakistan’s reporting system is “much better” than Afghanistan’s. According to the official, Pakistan documents every polio case, while Afghanistan’s reporting may leave some cases unrecorded.
The senior official added, “We believe some cases in Afghanistan are not reported. They don’t collect samples from paralyzed children. In contrast, every union council in Pakistan is required to send samples for any paralyzed child, resulting in thousands of samples being collected annually.”
The official also noted that global and regional efforts to eradicate polio face significant challenges in Pakistan and Afghanistan due to ongoing conflict and instability.
According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, nine polio eradication campaigns were conducted in both Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2024.
The persistence of polio in Pakistan and Afghanistan poses a serious public health challenge, not only for these countries but for the global effort to eradicate the disease. Strengthening health systems and ensuring the safety of vaccination teams are critical steps in achieving this goal.
Eradicating polio requires sustained international support and collaboration. Both Afghanistan and Pakistan must prioritize health infrastructure improvements and address regional security issues to ensure that polio eradication campaigns can reach every child in need of vaccination.
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