A 10-month-old baby in the Gaza city of Deir al-Balah has been diagnosed with polio, becoming the first recorded case in the area. The baby had not received any doses of the polio vaccine, and tests confirmed the infection in Amman, Jordan. Last month, the poliovirus was found in wastewater samples in Gaza, leading to concerns of a potential outbreak.
The Palestinian health ministry announced plans to implement a vaccination campaign targeting children under 10 years old in response to the discovery of the virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have called for a seven-day pause in the war in Gaza to vaccinate 640,000 Palestinian children against polio, with two rounds of vaccinations planned for August and September.
WHO also reported the discovery of a type 2 polio virus variant in Gaza, linking it to a variant last detected in Egypt in 2023. Three children with symptoms of polio have been identified, and their stool samples are being tested to confirm the diagnosis. Over 1.6 million doses of the polio vaccine are expected to be delivered to Gaza by the end of August, with strict vaccination coverage needed to prevent the spread of the virus.
The Gaza Strip has been polio-free for 25 years, but the recent emergence of the virus has raised concerns among the humanitarian community. WHO emphasized the importance of a cease-fire in the region to ensure public health security and prevent the re-emergence of polio.
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