The Palestinian Health has reported, Friday, the first confirmed case of detected polio in the Gaza Strip, specifically in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, involving a 10-month-old baby who had not received any doses of the polio vaccine.
Medical professionals identified symptoms indicative of polio, and subsequent testing conducted in Amman, Jordan, confirmed the presence of the vaccine-derived strain of the virus.
In a statement, the ministry announced plans to launch a vaccination campaign in the coming days aimed at children under 10 years of age.
The Health Ministry secured 1.2 million doses of the second type of polio vaccine in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), with efforts underway to acquire an additional 400,000 doses.
The Ministry of Health emphasized that the ongoing Israeli genocide of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip has led to a serious public health crisis, as noted by various international organizations.
The lack of essential hygiene supplies, inadequate sanitation services, waste accumulation in public areas, and insufficient access to safe drinking water have fostered conditions that facilitate the spread of numerous diseases.
The ministry reiterated its call for urgent intervention from the international community and health organizations to halt the ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza and to establish the necessary conditions to protect lives and provide immediate healthcare services to the population in the region.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a “polio pause”, so that humanitarians can safely vaccinate more than half a million children against polio.
“Let’s be clear: The ultimate vaccine for polio is peace and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. But in any case, a Polio Pause is a must.”
On Friday, day 315 of the Israeli assault on the entire population of the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces continued their assault, killing and wounding dozens of Palestinians in numerous airstrikes in Khan Younis and in al-Mawasi — the area that Israeli forces had ordered all Palestinians to flee to as a supposed ‘safe zone’.
The Israeli occupation forces have continued their aggression on the Gaza Strip by land, sea, and air since October 7, 2023, which has resulted in the killing of at least 40,005 Palestinians and the injury of 92,401 others, while thousands of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and rescue crews cannot reach them. The death toll is likely much higher, with the Lancet scientific journal estimating in July around 180,000 Palestinians had been killed.
