A case of polio has been confirmed in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, prompting fears that the outbreak could spread in a densely packed urban centre.

This latest case brings the total number of children to have been diagnosed with the disease to 10. The Papua New Guinea government declared a public health emergency in June after the first case of the disease emerged.

Prior to this outbreak the country's last case of polio occurred in 1996 and the country was declared polio free in 2000, along with the rest of the Pacific region.