Afghanistan has detected polio in areas previously declared free of the life-threatening disease after immunisation programmes were paused due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to AFP.

The polio virus has spread to three provinces that had not reported cases for up to five years, said Jan Rasekh, a spokesman for Afghanistan's polio eradication programme. Balkh, Herat and Badakhshan have each declared a single case.

Although the number of new cases nationwide is lower so far this year — with 14 compared to 26 in 2019 — the location has sparked concern.

“We had worked hard for years and cornered polio to a limited geography,” Rasekh said. “The coronavirus has helped polio spread beyond its endemic region of south and southeast, and now threatens people across the country,” he added.