ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Health Ministry said the number of polio cases in the country this year has increased to five after a child in Sindh province was found to be paralysed by the disease.

In a statement, the Ministry said that the poliovirus was found in the 31-month-old child in Gadap Town of Karachi, reports Xinhua news agency.

A 24-month-old child was diagnosed with the virus in the same area of Karachi in October, said the ministry, noting that an intensive investigation has been launched by the authority to comprehend the circumstances leading to the resurgence of the poliovirus in Karachi.

Besides that, all three other polio cases were reported from the Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

According to the World Health Organization, Pakistan is one of the only two polio-endemic countries in the world, along with its neighbour Afghanistan.