Children in Gaza face unsanitary conditions. First case of polio confirmed in Gaza Health
For the first time in 25 years, a case of polio has been recorded in the Gaza Strip. The dangerous infection was detected in a ten-month-old girl. The UN is preparing for a large-scale vaccination campaign to prevent the spread of the virus.
The head of the UN World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed deep concern about this. He said the girl in Deir al-Balah developed paralysis in her lower left leg but was now in a stable condition.
Tedros added that WHO experts were able to confirm through genomic sequencing that the infection was linked to the poliovirus type 2 variant detected in Gaza wastewater in June.
The threat of infection spread
Given the high risk of poliovirus spreading in Gaza and the wider region, Palestinian health authorities, together with WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), will begin polio vaccination campaigns in the coming weeks.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNRWA) will support these efforts, including by helping to deliver vaccines. UNRWA is the largest aid agency in the Gaza Strip, with staff currently providing health services in ten primary health care centres and mobile health units.
Mass Displacements
The UN remains extremely concerned about the mass evacuation of Gazans who are forced to move from place to place in search of safety. These movements are making the task of humanitarian organisations significantly more difficult.
In August alone, Israeli forces issued 12 evacuation orders, forcing almost 250,000 people to flee once again. This was reported by Muhannad Hadi, Humanitarian Coordinator in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
“If the evacuation orders are intended to protect civilians, they are, in fact, doing the opposite,” he stressed. “People are being forced to flee, often under fire, with what they can carry, and settle in an increasingly cramped, crowded and polluted area that, like the rest of Gaza, is unsafe.”
According to Hadi, the constant displacements deprive people of the opportunity to receive medical care, humanitarian assistance and enjoy the most basic amenities.