disease - WHO: Polio-Virus discovered in Gaza Strip
In the Gaza Strip, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), the polio virus responsible for paralysis in children has been discovered. The virus was found in six areas at the end of June, WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said. "It's important to note that the virus was only isolated from the environment." At present, there are no reported infections associated with it. No cases of paralytic symptoms have been registered.
The WHO is working with local authorities to assess the risk. A possible response could be an immediate vaccination campaign, it was stated. Given the destruction of many healthcare facilities, the precarious situation of the population, and the difficult hygienic conditions, the risk of diseases that could be prevented by vaccination is generally increased.
Health Ministry orders soldiers vaccinated
The virus was isolated from sewage channels, Israeli media reported, citing the Israeli Health Ministry. Parts of the sewage system in the Gaza Strip have been destroyed and open sewage pools have formed in some places. The Israeli Health Ministry has ordered all soldiers deployed in the Gaza Strip to be vaccinated. Soldiers who had already been vaccinated were also advised to receive a booster dose.
The health ministry controlled by Hamas in the Gaza Strip warned that viruses found in sewage channels near refugee camps could trigger a "health disaster." Thousands of people are at risk of contracting the disease.
Large humanitarian crisis in Gaza
The polio virus is highly contagious and can cause paralysis. In recent years, polio viruses have been discovered in the United States, Israel, and England. In these cases, it was not the wild polio virus, but viruses that originated from the oral polio vaccine with attenuated, but live polio viruses. These viruses can be shed by vaccinated individuals. In Germany, only inactivated vaccines have been in use for years, which do not contain live viruses.
Since Israel's war against the Islamic Hamas in Gaza, there has been a large humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip for months. Israel is trying to defeat Hamas after terrorists from the Palestinian organization and other groups carried out a massacre in Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 Israelis and abducting around 250 more people into the Gaza Strip. In the ensuing Gaza War, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were displaced, and tens of thousands were killed.
- The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed concern about the potential impacts of the ongoing conflicts in the Palestinian territories, particularly in the Gaza Strip, on public health.
- In addition to the polio virus, Israel has reported cases of other viruses derived from the oral polio vaccine in its population.
- Despite the efforts of the World Health Organization and local authorities in Israel, there have been no vaccination programs initiated in the Gaza Strip due to the complex political and security situation.
- The World Health Organization has called upon all parties involved in the conflicts in the Palestinian territories to prioritize the protection of civilians and public health facilities, which have been consistently targeted throughout the conflicts.
- The BMG (Bundesministerium für Gesundheit), the German Federal Ministry of Health, has expressed its readiness to cooperate with the World Health Organization in addressing the ongoing health crisis in the Gaza Strip.
- In Tel Aviv, a prominent medical research institution is conducting studies to develop new vaccines and treatments for the polio virus, aiming to provide relief to affected populations worldwide, including those in the Gaza Strip.
