Pakistani authorities have detected polio virus in an environmental sample from nine districts in the country, media reports said.

The total number of districts where the virus has been detected now stands at 52.

In the first seven months, nine children have also been infected by the crippling disease, reported ARY News.

An official of the polio programme told the news channel that environmental samples collected from Dadu, Hyderabad, Karachi South, Karachi Cen­tral, Karachi West, Quetta, Loralai, Rawal­pindi and Islamabad contained WPV1.

“It is essential for parents across the country to understand that this virus continues to pose a constant threat to the wellbeing of their children and make sure to open their doors to vaccinators to receive the polio vaccine,”an official said.