ISLAMABAD   -  The number of polio cases this year reached 28 as two more cases of the disease were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday.

According to health authorities, the two children, including a 36-month-old girl from district Zhob in Balochistan and a seven-month-old girl from Tank in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), were left paralysed by the wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1).

The latest cases were confirmed by the Regional Reference Laboratory at the National Institute of Health.

The onset of the virus in the toddler from Zhob was reported on September 6, while the baby in Tank showed symptoms of virus on September 17. The virus was found in the sewage samples from both districts previously, indicating continued polio transmission and risk to children’s health.

With the latest confirmed cases of poliovirus, the tally in KP reached three, while in Balochistan, it has now climbed to 16. Meanwhile, seven cases have been reported from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad so far.