Pakistan reports 2 new polio cases; yearly tally rises to 45

Islamabad: The number of polio cases in Pakistan this year has risen to 45 after two fresh cases were detected in the country's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, authorities said on Saturday.

The latest cases surfaced in the Lakki Marwat and Dera Ismail Khan provinces, Geo News reported, quoting the National Emergency Operations Centre.

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health confirmed the cases as those of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1).

This marks the second polio case this year from both districts, where environmental samples tested positive for WPV1, highlighting a high risk of virus transmission in the region.

According to The Express Tribune newspaper, WPV1 has been detected in 76 districts from all four provinces of the county, indicating the virus' widespread circulation.

The detection of new cases has jolted Pakistan's efforts to curb the spread of the crippling disease, for which a nationwide eradication programme is ongoing.

The week-long polio vaccination campaign began on Monday, aiming to vaccinate over 45 million children under five years of age against the virus.

Of the 45 cases detected in Pakistan this year, 22 were reported from Balochistan, 12 from Sindh, nine from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and one from Punjab and Islamabad, each, according to the report.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries in the world where polio remains endemic, according to the World Health Organisation.