ISLAMABAD, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani prime minister's focal person for polio eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq, vowed on Friday to continue massive campaigns and efforts to eradicate the menace of the poliovirus from the country.
Farooq told Xinhua that the regional reference laboratory for polio eradication at the National Institute of Health in the capital Islamabad has confirmed another case, bringing the total number of polio cases this year to 49.
According to the official, the latest case was detected in Jaffarabad district in the country's southwest Balochistan province.
The neighboring districts of Jaffarabad had already reported the virus in sewage samples or human cases, signaling broader circulation of the virus, said the official.
Pakistan's Balochistan remained the hardest-hit province, accounting for 24 cases this year. Southern Sindh has reported 13 cases, followed by northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 10, and eastern Punjab and the capital Islamabad with one case each.
The official added that polio has no cure, but multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine provide the best protection against the disease.
"We urge all parents and caregivers to ensure multiple doses of the polio vaccine for their children and completion of their routine vaccination schedule for added protection from disease," said the official. ■