ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday announced that 40 million children under the age of five would be administered polio drops in the fresh polio campaign across the country.

Addressing the event of polio campaign, PM Imran Khan requested all the mothers in the country if their children could not get polio drops, then they should themselves go to get them administered the drops.

“This is not just crucial for your children but the entire nation as Pakistan is among the only two countries where polio existed to date. It’s extremely shameful for us,” he said acknowledging the sacrifices rendered by polio workers in the country.

He said the dedicated polio workers of Pakistan, who had administered drops in far-flung areas and the areas having difficult terrains, were heroes of the nation.

The prime minister also warned of repercussions of polio diseases on the nation as any Pakistani travelling abroad would have to face difficulty.

“It is essential for us to defeat this disease,” he said.

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On Oct 30, the total number of polio cases in the country the following year had reached 80 after another case was reported in Sindh.

Aman Omer was, a 36-month-old male infant from Badhar Mohallah in District Sujawal, was affected of the polio disease, said the Emergency Operation Centre for Polio in Sindh. He was malnourished and died succumbing to kidney failure before stool samples could be collected.

Three contact samples collected from immediate contacts confirmed that the polio virus was actively circulating in the area.

The latest statistics show that five cases gave been detected in Punjab, seven from Balochistan and 59 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this year.