KABUL: Afghanistan has this year recorded 13 new cases of polio, which is only endemic in three other countries worldwide, the health minister said on Saturday.

Almost all the new cases were in the southern provinces with the insecurity hampering efforts to wipe out the crippling disease.

“We have 13 cases since the beginning of this year,” Health Minister Mohammad Amin Fatimie told an event to mark the start of a new round of polio vaccinations.

Most of the cases were in children aged under two years, he said. The number was down from 31 in 2006 and 17 in 2007.

“The first challenge is that the immunisation teams are not able to cover every single house and the enemies of Afghanistan are stopping the process,” Fatimie said, referring to Taliban and other militants.—AFP