By Luis De Jesus
Aug 16, 2024, 10:47 PM EDT
The Palestinian Ministry of Health confirmed on Friday the first case of poliovirus in Deir al-Balah, in central Gaza. The case involved a 10-month-old baby who had not been vaccinated, according to an official statement.
Doctors identified the child’s symptoms and suspected polio infection. Samples were sent to a laboratory in Amman by a delegation of Jordanian doctors after completing their mission in the region. The results confirmed the presence of the virus.
On July 19, the World Health Organization had already detected poliovirus in six of the seven environmental samples collected in Gaza in June. This situation increased fears of a possible outbreak, exacerbated by the lack of cleaning products, overcrowding, and water shortages in the area, reports the Efe news agency.
The Palestinian government has stated that it is prioritizing this issue and is preparing a vaccination campaign for children under 10 years of age. UNICEF has provided 200,000 doses of the poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2) vaccine and another 400,000 doses are expected to arrive.
On Friday, the WHO, together with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and UNICEF, called for a seven-day truce at the end of August to facilitate the vaccination of more than 640,000 children in two phases.
Gaza has been polio-free for 25 years
The WHO has warned that Gaza has been free of polio cases for 25 years and that its reappearance poses a serious threat to children in the strip and surrounding nations.
The organization stressed the need to achieve 95% vaccination coverage in each round of the campaign to prevent the spread of the virus, considering the serious problems in Gaza’s health and sanitation systems.
Hamas political bureau member Izat al-Rishq expressed support for the truce proposal and stressed the need to allow the entry of medicines and food for the more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza.
Israeli authorities have not yet responded to the request, although they announced on July 21 that they would vaccinate their soldiers in the enclave. The war in Gaza has caused more than 40,000 deaths and more than 92,000 injuries, according to figures from the Gaza health service.
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