Health authorities in Pakistan say they have confirmed six more cases of polio, taking the number of infected children to 39 this year.

The new cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) included three in Balochistan, two in Sindh province and one in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Polio, an infectious disease that causes crippling paralysis among young children, has been virtually eliminated globally after decades-long vaccination drives.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last remaining countries where it is still endemic. There is no cure for the disease, and paralysis caused by an infection is irreversible.

“This should be a wake-up call for all parents and communities,” Ms Ayesha Raza Farooq, Pakistan Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, said recently.