In Afghanistan, conspiracy theories fuel polio outbreak In the past decade, the numbers of people infected with polio declined from a high of 80 in 2011 to 13 in 2016. But last year there was a jump in new cases with 21 reported across Afghanistan. Polio immunisation is compulsory in Afghanistan, but distrust of vaccines is rife, and the programmes are difficult to enforce particularly in rural regions. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES