Humanitarian groups are considering a mass vaccination campaign for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip after that traces of the poliovirus type 2 variant were found in water sources in the war-ravaged territory.
The disease was detected in six locations in Gaza, the World Health Organization said Friday, adding that no cases of paralysis had been identified so far.
The WHO, based in Geneva,It said it was working with partners including UNICEF and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, to conduct a risk assessment.
Polio vaccination rates in Gaza before the war were “optimal,” according to the organization.
Israel confirmed on Sunday the resurgence of the virus, which can spread through contaminated water and direct person-to-person contact, and said it would offer booster shots to its soldiers operating in and around the Gaza Strip.
The war between Israel and Hamas has caused widespread destruction in Gaza and killed more than 38,000 Palestinians.according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths.
The war began on October 7, when Hamas militants invaded southern Israel and killed some 1,200 people, most of them civilians. Aid groups have been warning Israel about the possibility of disease outbreaks in Gaza as a result of the war.
“The destruction of the health system, lack of security, obstructed access, constant population displacement, shortages of medical supplies, poor water quality and weakened sanitation are increasing the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu, WHO director-general, in a statement on June 10.
“This poses a risk to children and creates the perfect environment for the spread of diseases such as polio,” he added.
Poliovirus can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis within hours. The disease mainly affects children under five years of age, although anyone who is not vaccinated can contract it.
