Initiating of Polio Immunization Program in Gaza Overseen by Authorities
Israel recently announced "humanitarian breaks" in the Gaza conflict, enabling polio vaccinations to commence on Sunday, as per the World Health Organization (WHO). This decision was made following the identification of the first polio case in over two decades in a newborn in the Gaza Strip.
The WHO had urged for humanitarian truces to permit approximately 640,000 children under ten to receive the polio vaccine. In July, polio traces were discovered in wastewater samples from the southern city of Khan Yunis and the central region of the Gaza Strip. More recently, the initial polio case in the Gaza Strip was verified in a ten-month-old baby in Deir al-Balah.
The disease commonly known as poliomyelitis is a severe, highly infectious virus that targets the spinal cord, potentially leading to long-term paralysis in children.
The decision to allow "humanitarian breaks" in the Gaza conflict was also driven by the WHO's plea for truces, as they aim to vaccinate over 640,000 children under ten against polio. Despite the identification of polio traces in wastewater samples in Khan Yunis and the central region, as well as the confirmation of a case in a ten-month-old baby in Deir al-Balah, the disease remains a significant "other" health concern in the Gaza Strip.
