Two new polio cases from Sindh were confirmed by the province’s emergency operation centre (EOC) for polio on Friday, taking the cases toll to 19 in 2019.

An EOC Sindh spokesperson said the polio virus was found in Sukkur in a seven-year-old girl who had weakness in her right upper and lower limbs. The second case of polio, on the other hand, was found in a 22-month-old boy from Tando Allah Yar, who was severely affected but died. The toddler had been unwell for two weeks prior to paralysis and his death was not attributed to the polio virus.

Since polio is a vaccine-preventable disease, the EOC requested parents to have their children vaccinated since refusing to do so would enable the virus to spread, putting other children at risk.

A total of 115 polio cases have been reported across Pakistan this year so far. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had earlier expressed concern over the emergence of two more polio cases, adding that several steps were taken to eradicate the disease from the province.

Shah directed the concerned authorities to vaccinate children at all entrance points of the province to control the virus. One reason for the spread of polio was due to the migration of families from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan to Sindh, he added.

The CM also said Gadap town would be given a special status and water and sanitation schemes would be introduced to protect children from polio. He further instructed the health department of Sindh to launch comprehensive anti-polio drives to protect children from the virus.