Polio Threat Looms over Gaza Amid Dire Health Conditions

The World Health Organization has raised concerns about the high risk of polio spreading in Gaza due to poor sanitation. WHO and UNICEF are set to conduct risk assessments and gather stool samples. Israel is offering vaccines to soldiers, and international groups aim to vaccinate over a million people in Gaza.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday about a significant risk of the polio virus spreading across the Gaza Strip amid dire health and sanitation conditions in the conflict-stricken Palestinian territory.

In a briefing from Jerusalem, Ayadil Saparbekov, WHO's team lead for health emergencies in Gaza and the West Bank, noted that circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 had been detected in environmental samples from Gaza's sewage system. He emphasized the potential for international spread of the virus due to the severe water and sanitation crisis in the region.

Scheduled to arrive in Gaza on Thursday, WHO and UNICEF workers will collect human stool samples for a risk assessment, aiming to complete it by the end of the week. This evaluation will guide health officials in recommending appropriate responses, including the necessity for mass vaccination and the suitable vaccines and age groups for inoculation.

Poliomyelitis, a highly infectious virus transmitted mainly via the fecal-oral route, can cause paralysis and predominantly affects children under five. In response to the detected polio remnants, Israel's military announced it would start administering polio vaccines to soldiers stationed in Gaza. Additionally, international collaborations have secured enough vaccines for over one million of Gaza's 2.3 million residents.

Public health officials and aid groups stress that Gaza's population is especially vulnerable to disease outbreaks due to inadequate health services. 'I'm extremely worried about an outbreak happening in Gaza. And this is not only polio, but different outbreaks of communicable diseases,' Saparbekov said.

(With inputs from agencies.)