The Ministry of Health of the Palestinian Authority announced this evening that the first confirmed case of polio in the city of Deir Al Ballach in the Gaza Strip.
This is a 10-month-old infant, who had not been vaccinated.
No cases of the disease had been recorded in the Gaza Strip for 25 years.
In yet another call for an end to the hostilities in Gaza, the UN Secretary General said that the polio virus was detected in sewage samples in the cities of Khan Younis and Deir Al Ballah and sounded the alarm in the countries of the region.
“This means the virus is now circulating, with hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza at risk.” Antonio Guterres said.
The Secretary General warned that polio has no borders and how “preventing and limiting the spread of the virus will require a massive, coordinated and urgent effort” .
“Polio transcends politics. It is our shared obligation to unite to defeat a vicious virus that, if left unchecked, would have devastating consequences not only for the Palestinian children in Gaza, but also for neighboring countries and the region.” noted Mr. Guterres.
Vaccination campaign in Gaza
The United Nations is poised to launch a vital polio vaccine campaign in Gaza for more than 640,000 children under the age of 10.
The World Health Organization has authorized the release of 1.6 million doses of the polio vaccine, while UNICEF is coordinating the delivery of the vaccines.
Meanwhile, UNRWA, the largest provider of primary health care in Gaza, has medical teams ready to administer the vaccines and help with logistics.
The Secretary-General pointed out that “the vaccination effort will involve 708 teams in hospitals and primary health care centers, many of which are barely functioning,” and asked for guarantees from all parties that the movement of medical teams across the region would be facilitated.
#Gaza #case #polio #Fears #spread #region
