The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said an immediate ceasefire in Gaza is necessary to avoid deaths from unpreventable diseases, given the collapsed state of the Gazan healthcare system. 

Last week, 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.

This alarming discovery highlights a severe health crisis as the virus is found in sewage water that flows through the densely populated areas and displacement camps, where infrastructure has been severely damaged due to the relentless Israeli bombardment since October 7.

In an article for The Guardian, Ghebreyesus details the mounting health hazards surrounding Gaza amid the continuous destruction and aggression in the Strip.

The state of the Gazan health structure 

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So far, almost 40,000 Palestinians have been killed while another 90,000 injured. In the absence of proper medical treatment, decaying bodies scattered across the Strip, food insecurity causing exponential levels and cases of malnutrition, and the spread of highly transmittable diseases such as respiratory infections Hepatitis A, and others such as diarrhoeal diseases, Palestinians, particularly vulnerable children, risk suffering a greater health toll. 

Out of 36 hospitals across the Gaza Strip, only 16 are partially functional, while half of the medical facilities also partially operate. 

Displaced Palestinians are cramming into already crowded shelters or makeshift camps after fleeing the Israeli bombardment elsewhere. In certain areas in Gaza, refugees were forced to set up makeshift tents around a 100,000-ton mountain of waste. 

There exists very little access to clean water and sanitary products, which further expedites the regression of hygiene and health safety among Palestinians, making them even more susceptible to disease. 

An immediate ceasefire to prevent more death

While no polio outbreak has been detected yet, the WHO chief warns that if no immediate action is taken, it will manifest sooner rather than later. Polio thrives in condensed areas and spreads easily during conflict, more so in Gaza given the level of Israeli destruction, which has prevented children from getting vaccinated over the past nine months, making them the most vulnerable and susceptible to contracting the disease. 

Considering the risks, Ghebreyesus revealed that the WHO is sending over a million polio vaccines to Gaza to try and curb a creeping health crisis, but without an immediate ceasefire and the vast flow of humanitarian aid to the Strip, all efforts could be in vain. 

He hailed the efforts of the medical teams that were able to continue working and made the detection possible despite the conditions they were subjected to and urged the international community to prioritize health and well-being by ending the war on Gaza to prevent curable diseases and more avoidable deaths.