Pakistan reports new polio case in northwest, raising nationwide tally to 50 cases this year

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Officials say Pakistan has detected one more polio case in the restive northwest bordering Afghanistan, raising the country’s tally of the infectious disease to 50 cases this year. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where the spread of polio has never been stopped. The rise in cases of polio has hampered Pakistan’s yearslong efforts to make it a polio-free state. The National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication said in a statement the latest case was detected in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Militants in Pakistan often target polio workers and police assigned for anti-polio campaigns.