WHO reports new polio case in Afghanistan

KABUL, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- The infectious poliomyelitis disease is yet to be completely uprooted in militancy- hit Afghanistan as the World Health Organization (WHO) has reported one new virus from southern Zabul province on Friday.

The regional reference laboratory released a report on one new wild poliovirus (WPV1) case in August 2017, from Arghandab district of Zabul province that brings the total number of WPV1 cases in 2017 to six across the country, the organization said on its website.

Investigations last year had also revealed that what was found in Bermal district of eastern Paktika province was a polio case generally linked to a virus from Southern Waziristan region of neighboring of Pakistan.

Currently only two countries, namely Afghanistan and Pakistan still remain polio endemic since Nigeria was removed from the list of polio endemic countries in 2015.