Pakistani health authorities on Friday (November 8) announced the identification of two new cases of polio in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. With the identification of these two new cases, the total number of polio cases in Pakistan this year has reached 48.

The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health of Pakistan on Friday announced that it has identified two new cases of the polio virus.

The first case of polio was reported in Sindh's Ghotki district, with Sukar, Rahim Yar Khan and Shikarpur districts being areas where cases of the virus had previously been recorded, the organisation said.

The second case was also detected on Friday in the Dera Ismail Khan area of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the report added. Earlier, three more cases of polio have been recorded in this district this year, the organisation said.

The agency said that genetic sequencing of samples collected from both children is currently under review. Pakistani health officials also stressed on the importance of the polio vaccine to protect children from virus-related disabilities.

Pakistani health officials urged parents across the country to ensure that all children under the age of five have received a dose of oral polio vaccine.

Pakistan's health authorities have reported 48 cases of polio in the country this year, while Pakistan and Afghanistan are currently the only countries where the virus has so far claimed victims.