First Polio Case in Gaza Amidst Ongoing Conflict

Palestinian health officials reported the first polio case in a decade in Gaza, involving an unvaccinated 10-month-old child. Amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, health bodies urge cease-fire to vaccinate 640,000 children. The WHO has alerted that three children in Gaza show acute symptoms, stressing the urgent need for vaccination.

Palestinian health officials on Friday reported the first polio case in years in Gaza, identifying an unvaccinated 10-month-old child in Deir al-Balah. This alarming development coincides with the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which broke out on October 7.

The polio case was confirmed following tests conducted in Amman, Jordan, according to the ministry. Polio, a potentially fatal disease that causes paralysis, primarily affects children under five and spreads through contaminated water. Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio transmission has not been halted.

The World Health Organisation has yet to confirm the case but, together with UN health and children's agencies, has urged for a week-long fighting pause to vaccinate 640,000 Palestinian children. The polio virus was detected in Gaza's wastewater, marking the end of a 25-year polio-free streak. The humanitarian crisis has heightened the risk of polio resurgence amidst the conflict, which has resulted in over 40,000 deaths in Gaza and created a public health emergency, according to health officials.

(With inputs from agencies.)