The first laboratory for the diagnosis of polio disease samples was opened on Thursday (February, 08) in Kabul by the Ministry of Public Health.

Qalandar Ebad, acting Minister of Public Health, while opening the laboratory, spoke about the reduction of polio cases in the country in the past two years.

Ebad said: “For 2024, we have a big goal for ourselves to completely eradicate polio from Afghanistan in 2024."

Meanwhile, Ahmad Naser Hanafi, acting head of Central Public Health Labs, at the opening meeting said that the efforts were continuing to establish polio laboratories since 10 years ago. Hanafi added that in the past, samples were being transferred to Pakistan for diagnoses. 

Ahmad Naser Hanafi said: “In the past, all samples and materials from Afghanistan were sent to Islamabad in Pakistan to be diagnosed. Now we can test these samples inside the country.”

Hamid Jafari, WHO EMRO Director of Polio Eradication, said that Afghanistan and Pakistan should work together to eradicate this disease.

Jafari said: “It's extremely important that the two countries coordinate and  collaborate and work very closely together because they both have to succeed together. One country cannot succeed without success in the other country and that’s why under the leadership of … minister, there is a very systematic coordination and collaboration (for) all levels between the two countries to achieve polio eradication together.”  

In 2022 two positive cases of polio and in 2023 six positive cases of polio were recorded in Afghanistan.