National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Minister  Abdul Qadir Patel has said the presence of poliovirus in Peshawar and Hangu has been confirmed and the samples are genetically linked to Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are the states where poliovirus is present, the minister said, adding that Islamabad and Kabul will continue the war against poliovirus.

He continued: “The presence of poliovirus puts every child at risk. With the immediate confirmation of the virus, we will be able to take necessary steps to protect our children from the cripple disease.

He insisted that parents must join hands with the government and get their children immunized during the anti-polio drives.

The government is working on an emergency basis and it will continue with the mission to eradicate the virus.

Last year, flash floods inflicted a huge loss in the country, claiming hundreds of lives and leaving a trail of destruction. The frontline polio workers were among the hit hard

Nearly 12,500 polio health workers were affected by the floods, according to the programme’s assessment.

In January, the minister handed over cheques for the flood-hit polio workers in Baluchistan, KP and Punjab. In Sindh, the process has been completed with frontline workers supported with financial assistance in 22 districts.

“On this first working day of the year, I want to thank polio workers across the country for their services to the children of Pakistan and reiterate the Government’s commitment to ending transmission of polio in 2023,” the Minister said on that occasion.