First case of poliovirus reported in ten-month-old infant south Gaza
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UN organizations are calling for two seven-day breaks in the war on Gaza in order to vaccinate over 640,000 children against polio, which has been found in wastewater.
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Palestinians gather to fill water jugs near one of the Strip's few functioning desalination plants in Deir al-Balah in Gaza on June 20, 2024. (AP)
The Health Ministry in Gaza reported the first incidence of poliovirus in the Gaza Strip's southern governorates.
According to a press statement, the instance involves a 10-month-old infant who has not received any vaccination for polio in the city of Deir al-Balah after the newborn exhibited symptoms identical to those of polio as suspected by doctors. Tests in Amman indicated that the infant had contracted a type of vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV).
The Ministry confirmed that it would launch a critical polio vaccination campaign in the coming days aimed at children under the age of ten, noting that 1,200,000 type 2 polio vaccine doses had been secured in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).
Work is underway to secure an additional 400,000 doses, it maintained.
It further stressed, however, that the Strip is facing a severe health crisis due to the ongoing Israeli aggression, which has led to a lack of basic hygiene, sanitation, and clean drinking water. This has created conditions conducive to the spread of epidemics, including water-borne diseases like VDPV. The situation has resulted in waste accumulation on streets and around shelters, further exacerbating the health risks.
The international community and health organizations are being urged to intervene urgently to stop the aggression and address the immediate healthcare needs of Gaza's population. International bodies are also called to take action to restore safe water and wastewater systems, manage waste disposal, ensure fuel for water pumping, and facilitate the unrestricted entry of medical and hygiene supplies into the Strip.
UN seeks Gaza truces, albeit brief, for children polio vaccination
UN organizations urged for two seven-day breaks in the war on Gaza in order to vaccinate over 640,000 children against polio, which has been found in wastewater.
The UN's health and children's organizations announced they had a plan to reach Palestinian children throughout the war-torn Strip, beginning later this month.
The World Health Organization and UNICEF, however, stated that this would necessitate a ceasefire.
They stated that a two-round vaccination program against type 2 poliovirus (cVDPV2) would be launched in the Gaza Strip beginning in late August.
Hamas Political Bureau member Izzat al-Rishq instantly expressed the movement's support for the UN’s request for a 7-day truce in order to vaccinate thousands of children against polio, further highlighting the need to ensure the entry of medicine and food to more than two million Palestinians besieged in the Gaza Strip.
Last month, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza issued an urgent warning after tests conducted on sewage samples, in coordination with UNICEF, confirmed the presence of the poliovirus.
The alarming discovery highlights what the Ministry labeled as a "new health disaster" that comes amid the flow of contaminated water through the densely populated areas and displacement camps, where infrastructure has been severely damaged due to the relentless Israeli bombardment since October 7.
The WHO and UNICEF requested the humanitarian pauses be implemented "to allow for two rounds of vaccination campaigns to take place," allowing for "children and families to safely reach health facilities and community outreach workers to get to children who cannot access health facilities for polio vaccination."
The agencies warned that should no pause be implemented, "the delivery of the campaign will not be possible."
Polio, malnutrition tighten death grip on Gaza children
The number of cases of malnutrition among children in northern Gaza rose by almost 300% in July as compared to May, a report released last week by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) revealed.
It stated that 96% of Gaza's population suffers from crisis levels of hunger, citing data from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) and the Global Nutrition Cluster.
Detected malnutrition cases among children in northern Gaza increased by more than 300% in July compared with May, says @GNCGENEVA.
— UNRWA (@UNRWA) August 8, 2024
96% of Gaza’s population faces crisis levels of hunger, according to @theIPCinfo. Gaza needs more aid and a #CeasefireNow pic.twitter.com/Pc382sW7Wr
The World Health Organization Director Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted about the levels of polio plaguing Gaza and said that the WHO, UNRWA, and UNICEF are preparing "two rounds of polio vaccination campaigns targeting 600,000 children under the age of 8."
"WHO is sending more than 1 million polio vaccines to Gaza, which will be administered in the coming weeks," he affirmed.
The detection of #polio in wastewater in #Gaza is a tell-tale sign that the virus has been circulating in the community, putting unvaccinated children at risk.
— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) August 7, 2024
In coordination with the Ministry of Health, @WHO, @UNICEF, @UNRWA and partners are preparing two rounds of polio…
