The Palestinian Ministry of Health has confirmed the first case of polio in the Gaza Strip, identified in a 10-month-old baby in Deir al-Balah.
The case was confirmed through lab tests in Amman, Jordan, the Ministry said and comes a month after the virus that causes polio, which has a 15-30% fatality rate, was detected in the water in the besieged enclave.
The Ministry of Health declared Gaza a polio epidemic zone at the end of July.
The announcement comes amid “the challenging health conditions in the Gaza Strip, including the spread of infectious diseases, the overflow of sewage into streets and among displaced persons’ tents, and the lack of personal hygienic supplies and clean drinking water,” the Health Ministry said.
‘Dire Situation’ – Gaza’s Health Ministry Declares Polio Epidemic across Gaza
Several specialized committees have been formed to carry out various tasks aimed at limiting the spread of the polio epidemic, it added, saying these efforts “involve collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, UNRWA, and several experts.”
Pending Vaccines
Preparations have been set for a vaccination campaign against polio, targeting children under 10 years of age, the Ministry said, emphasizing that the campaign is “pending the arrival of vaccines” in Gaza.
It stressed that “this campaign cannot succeed without enabling medical teams to operate widely, which necessitates an urgent ceasefire.”
Polio Outbreak Expected in ‘Next Number of Days, Weeks’ – Experts
The Ministry also warned that “the spread of this epidemic will not be confined to the Gaza Strip, and international institutions and relevant authorities must take necessary measures to prevent its spread within and beyond the Gaza Strip.”
The WHO said last month that the vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2) was found” at six locations in sewage samples collected on 23 June from Gaza’s Khan Yunis and Deir Al-Balah areas.
The highly contagious viral disease attacks the nervous system and can cause total paralysis within hours.
Staggering Death Toll
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 40,005 Palestinians have been killed, and 92,401 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Polio in Gaza – Necropolitics of Genocide and Impending Public Health Crisis
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Later in the war, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began moving from the south to central Gaza in a constant search for safety.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
Iuck Fsrael.