ISLAMABAD: The number of polio cases detected in the country during the current year has reached 82 after four more polio cases emerged in the volatile tribal areas, the officials said on Saturday.
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) has witnessed at least 61 polio cases out of the total 82 reported cases this year.
The Emergency coordinator of the Worth Health Organization’s (WHO) polio eradication programme in Pakistan Elias Durry said that of the four new cases, two are from Khyber Agency while the other two from North Waziristan tribal agency.
Pakistan is among three countries where the crippling virus is endemic; the other two are Afghanistan and Nigeria.
Last month, the WHO imposed strict travel restrictions on Pakistan due to increasing cases of polio in the country, making it mandatory for Pakistani citizens to carry a polio vaccination certificate during foreign travel.