Islamabad, Dec 3 (IANS): Pakistan confirmed three more polio cases increasing the total number of cases in the country in 2024 to 59.

According to a statement, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the NIH verified the detection of the Wild Poliovirus Type 1 (WPV1) in three children in different areas of the country, the National Institute of Health (NIH) said late Monday night, Xinhua news agency reported.

The NIH added that one case was reported from Dera Ismail Khan district and the other two cases were confirmed in southern port city of Karachi and southern district of Kashmore, respectively.

Pakistan is responding to an intense resurgence of WPV1 by utilising its all-out efforts, said the NIH, adding that of the confirmed cases, 26 are from Balochistan province, 16 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 15 from Sindh province, and one each from Punjab province and the country's capital Islamabad.

The NIH urged masses to ensure the oral polio vaccine for their children under the age of five during every anti-polio campaign.

"The next mass vaccination is planned for mid-December to reach more than 44 million children with the vaccine," said the NIH, adding that it is crucial for parents to ensure vaccination for all their children under the age of five to keep them protected, considering the intense polio outbreak.