Health authorities designate Gaza Strip polio epidemic zone
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The Ministry of Health in Gaza says a variant of the dangerous poliovirus was found in sewage water across densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip.
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Palestinian kids sort through trash at a landfill in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp, in the Gaza Strip, which piled up as a result of Israeli occupation forces' systematic destruction of sanitary infrastructure, on June 20, 2024. (AP)
The Ministry of Health in Gaza has declared the Gaza Strip an area affected by a polio (poliomyelitis) epidemic, a consequence of the prolonged 10-month Israeli war on the besieged region.
Health authorities explained that the announcement comes as a result of Israeli authorities depriving the population of usable water, destroying sanitation infrastructure, piling up thousands of tons of garbage, creating food insecurity, and overcrowding displaced people in imposed relocation areas.
Additionally, authorities discovered the virus "CVPV2", a variant of poliovirus that can cause paralysis and death in children, in sewage water in the Khan Younis and Central Gaza Strip governorates.
After becoming one of the most worrying children's diseases, polio cases rapidly decreased when a vaccine was introduced in the 1950s, however, the harsh conditions in the Gaza Strip risk a rise in cases affected by the dangerous infection.
As such, the Ministry said the situation not only threatens the residents of the Gaza Strip but may also threaten bordering countries. It also said that the epidemic is a setback for the global polio eradication program, as the disease had been eradicated in Palestine.
The health authorities in Gaza warned that the epidemic control program launched in partnership with international organizations, especially the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), "will not be sufficient unless there is an immediate intervention to end the [Israeli] aggression."
Alongside implementing lasting solutions for the shortage of drinking water and personal hygiene products like cleaners and disinfectants, there is a critical need to repair sewage networks and remove the accumulated tons of garbage and solid waste, the Ministry explained.
Read more: Discovery of poliovirus in Gaza incredibly alarming, UNICEF chief says
Hospitals struggle to treat increasing viral, bacterial infections
In the same context, Dr. Khalil al-Daqran, a spokesperson for the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, warned earlier today of the newly discovered virus in the Central Gaza Strip. He said that the hospital’s situation is critical due to the increasing number of sick children and the worsening crisis.
Meanwhile, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip, noted a widespread outbreak of skin diseases in the region, particularly among children, due to microbial infections of the skin.
The Gaza Strip and its residents have experienced unprecedented torment since the Israeli occupation launched its aggression. Israeli bombing campaigns have heavily targeted water and sewage infrastructure, as well as medical centers, highlighting "Israel's" systematic destruction of essential services and life in the territory.
Read more: 'Israel' weaponizing water against Palestine since 1993: Oxfam
