First polio case registered in Gaza Strip

The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced last night that the first case of polio had been confirmed in the Gaza Strip.

The infection was discovered in the city of Deir al-Balah and a ten-month-old baby who had not been vaccinated against polio became ill.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres yesterday called on the parties to the conflict in the Gaza Strip to grant humanitarian pauses to allow vaccinations against the disease to be carried out.

He said the UN was ready to launch a polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip for children under 10, but added that it was a “difficult challenge” and that it was “impossible to carry out a polio vaccination campaign while war is raging everywhere”.

“To prevent the spread of polio and reduce its incidence in the face of devastation in Gaza, a vaccination rate of at least 95 percent is required in each of the two rounds of vaccination,” the UN Secretary-General added.

The poliovirus has been detected in sewage in the Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis areas, local doctors said, Srna writes.

Photo: Anadolu Agency