Pakistan reports 26th polio case of the year

Islamabad: Pakistan's polio tally for the year has soared to 26 with two fresh cases of the crippling disease being reported in the country, jolting its efforts to eradicate the poliovirus, according to media reports on Wednesday. The latest cases were confirmed in the Sindh province of the country, the Dawn newspaper reported.

The new cases are the first to be reported in the Karachi East and Sujawal districts of the province, the report said, quoting an official of the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health here. “This marks the first case reported this year in both districts,” the official said, adding that seven cases had been detected in the Sindh province this year. The victims of the crippling disease were a seven-year-old girl and a 12-month-old boy, the report said.