Polio resurfaces in Gaza after 25 years with 10-month-old child diagnosed

Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Gaza faces a new crisis as polio returns after 25 years. Aid groups and the U.N. are urgently calling for a humanitarian cease-fire to vaccinate over 640,000 children, fearing a widespread outbreak in the war-torn region where healthcare systems are crumbling.

Polio case detected in 10-month-old child

• First polio case: The Palestinian Health Ministry announced the detection of Gaza’s first polio case in 25 years, confirmed in a 10-month-old child from central Gaza after tests in Jordan.
• Virus in wastewater: In July, poliovirus type 2 was found in Gaza’s wastewater at 6 different locations, indicating that the virus is spreading through the region’s compromised sanitation systems.

How does war block vaccination efforts?

• Logistical challenges: Ensuring the delivery of over 1.6 million doses of the vaccine through Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, maintaining the cold chain for vaccine storage, and the safe passage of medical teams into Gaza are significant hurdles.

• Healthcare system in crisis: The 11-month-long war has devastated Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure, with many hospitals destroyed or out of commission. The territory is experiencing severe shortages of medical supplies, sanitation products, and clean water.
• Overcrowded refugee camps: Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are living in makeshift camps where inadequate sanitation, sewage management and limited access to clean water are creating breeding grounds for the virus.
• Impact of Israeli offensive: The ongoing Israeli military campaign has resulted in over 40,000 deaths, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis and making health interventions even more challenging.

UN urgent calls for a Gaza cease-fire

• Guterres’ appeal: U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for immediate humanitarian pauses in the conflict to conduct a polio vaccination campaign.

Preventing and containing the spread of polio will take a massive, coordinated and urgent effort

Antonio Guterres

• Vaccination plan: WHO and UNICEF have detailed plans to administer the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) to over 640,000 children under 10 in two rounds. The first phase is set to begin in late August, followed by a second phase in September.
• Cease-fire essential for success: The U.N. agencies stress that the success of the vaccination campaign is contingent on a cease-fire, which would allow families to safely access health facilities and for outreach workers to reach isolated children.

Middle East faces polio threats

• Health risks beyond Gaza: The WHO has warned that the spread of polio in Gaza could pose a threat to neighboring regions, emphasizing the need for an urgent international response.
• Aid group warnings: Francis Hughes, Gaza Response Director at CARE International, highlighted the risk, stating: “We are anticipating and preparing for the worst-case scenario of a polio outbreak in the coming weeks or months.”
• Support from Hamas: Hamas has expressed support for the U.N.’s call for a ceasefire to facilitate the vaccination campaign and has also urged the delivery of essential medical supplies and food to the population.
• Israel’s preventive measures: In response to the outbreak, Israel has started vaccinating its soldiers against polio, while maintaining tight restrictions on aid access to Gaza.

What will happen?

• Awaiting cease-fire agreement: As the situation in Gaza deteriorates, the window for preventing a full-scale polio outbreak is rapidly closing. The international community’s focus now turns to achieving a temporary cease-fire, allowing humanitarian agencies to carry out life-saving vaccination efforts.