Two more children are paralyzed by polio, bringing Pakistan’s total to 28.

The total poliovirus tally in Pakistan this year soared to 28 as authorities confirmed two fresh cases of the intensifying crippling disease. 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 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.