ISLAMABAD  -  The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan. With report of two more cases the number of total cases in the country this year reached to 52.

The lab confirmed the cases from Dera Ismail Khan where a boy and a girl child are affected. Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway. D I Khan, one of the seven polio endemic districts of southern KP, has now reported five polio cases this year. Of the 52 cases in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from KP and one each from Punjab and Islamabad. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five is essential to keep them protected.

It is critical for parents to open their door to vaccinators and ensure that all children in their care receive OPV to keep them protected from the devastating effects of polio