The World Health Organization said the global polio eradication effort and its success will depend on the progress in the two remaining endemic polio reservoirs in the world, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"It all reiterates that the last strongholds of poliovirus in Pakistan and Afghanistan need to be addressed and poliovirus transmission needs to be stopped there. Until and unless we achieve that, the poliovirus will continue to appear in different parts of the world given the ongoing population movement,” said Dr Zubair Wadood, WHO senior epidemiologist in the polio eradication department.

The Ministry of Public Health said that from the start of this year polio vaccination campaigns have been ongoing.

“In some areas in southern provinces campaigns were difficult but now there are no areas left out of the campaign for polio,” said Sharafat Zaman Khail, a spokesman for the MoPH.

“We call on government to pay more attention to the polio virus,” said Sayed Ahmad, a Kabul resident.