Beijing ( CNN ) -- An outbreak of polio has been confirmed in China for the first time since 1999 , leaving one person dead and hospitalizing another nine , according to the World Health Organization ( WHO ) . The disease , a contagious viral illness that in its most severe form causes paralysis , difficulty breathing and sometimes death , broke out in the prefectures of Hotan and Bazhou in the country 's western Xinjiang province . Among the ten cases confirmed , six are in children under three years old and four are young adults . The WHO said evidence indicates the virus is genetically linked to polio cases currently circulating in Pakistan , which borders Xinjiang . Pakistan has been affected by the nationwide transmission of the same WPV1 strain . It also warned the virus could spread beyond the current affected area . `` Although other areas in China or other countries are not immediately at risk due to the geographic distance to the affected province , the polio virus can travel great distances and find susceptible populations , no matter where they live , '' Helen Yu , from the WHO 's Beijing office told CNN . According to China 's Center for Disease Control and Prevention , the Ministry of Health has dispatched a group of public health experts to the affected region to help treat the virus . It said the local government had launched a mass vaccination campaign starting in early September . WHO confirmed initial vaccination campaigns carried out by mid-September had reached over 3.5 million children -- children being particularly vulnerable to polio . Further vaccination campaigns will be conducted in the near future to ensure this outbreak is brought completely under control , according to the health ministry . `` No matter how long a country has been polio-free , as long as global polio eradication has not yet been achieved , the risk for importation remains and constant vigilance is required . '' said Yu . Polio , also known as poliomyelitis , is usually transmitted through contaminated food and water . It invades the nervous system and often leads to permanent paralysis . It can be prevented by immunization . This is the first outbreak of polio in China since 1999 , when a case was reportedly brought into the country from India .
Outbreak reported in western Xinjiang province , which borders Pakistan . Polio a contagious viral illness that can cause paralysis , death . Among the ten cases confirmed , six are in children under three years . WHO : Virus genetically linked to polio cases circulating in Pakistan .