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Gaza City, August 16, 2024 — In a troubling development, Palestinian health officials have reported the first case of polio in Gaza in years. The case involves a 10-month-old child from Deir al-Balah, who had not been vaccinated. This revelation comes amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has intensified since October 7.
The polio case was confirmed through tests conducted in Amman, Jordan. Polio is a potentially fatal disease that primarily affects children under the age of five and can cause paralysis. The virus is spread through contaminated water, and despite global efforts, Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio transmission has not been entirely eradicated.
The World Health Organization (WHO), along with UN health and children’s agencies, is working to confirm the case and has called for a one-week pause in fighting. This temporary ceasefire is aimed at facilitating the vaccination of 640,000 Palestinian children to prevent further spread of the disease.
The detection of the polio virus in Gaza’s wastewater marks the end of a 25-year period during which the region was free from polio. The current humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by the ongoing conflict, has significantly heightened the risk of polio’s resurgence. The conflict has resulted in over 40,000 deaths in Gaza, creating a severe public health emergency, as reported by local health officials.
Efforts to combat the polio outbreak are complicated by the conflict, underscoring the urgent need for a coordinated international response to address both the immediate health crisis and the broader humanitarian issues facing the region.
