Experts Warn of Growing Imminent Polio Outbreak in Gaza

Gaza, MINA – Warnings of an imminent polio outbreak in Gaza are growing as Israel shows no signs of either ending its deadly assault on the devastated Palestinian enclave or lifting a crippling blockade on essential supplies, Anadolu Agency reports.

Gaza’s Health Ministry declared the Palestinian territory a “polio epidemic zone” on July 30 after samples of the virus were detected in wastewater, triggering fears of a resurgence of a disease eradicated from the region over 25 years ago.

With millions of displaced Palestinians living in appalling conditions with no healthcare facilities or even basic medical supplies, experts see an outbreak of the viral disease as “inevitable.”

“We’re expecting a polio outbreak in the next number of days or weeks,” Francis Hughes, Gaza Response Director for global humanitarian agency CARE International, told Anadolu.

Polio is a particular threat to children under age 5 and especially infants less than 2 years old. The virus attacks the nervous system, leading to spinal and respiratory paralysis, and can prove fatal.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said last month that the vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2) was found at six locations in sewage samples collected on June 23 from Gaza’s Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah areas.

According to the UN health agency, wild poliovirus was eliminated from the occupied Palestinian territories a quarter of a century ago.

With the detection of the virus, WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic said the agency “considers there to be a high risk of spread of this strain within Gaza, and internationally, particularly given the impact the current situation continues to have on public health services.”

No clinical cases have been confirmed in Gaza so far but that is primarily due to a lack of surveillance and testing facilities.

“Acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance has not been functioning adequately, and surveillance has been suspended since Oct. 7 last year,” said Jasarevic.

As for immunization, he said vaccination rates in occupied Palestinian territories were “optimal” before the war, with routine coverage at 95% and above in 2022. In 2023, polio vaccination coverage, primarily conducted through routine immunization, was estimated at 89%, according to latest WHO-UNICEF routine immunization estimates.

“In the past nine months, routine vaccination has been disrupted and tens of thousands of children under 5 years old are at risk of contracting polio and other vaccine preventable diseases,” said the spokesperson. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)