Undetected polio cases pose a real challenge – Ministry of Health

From the editors of the Palestine Chronicle

The first case of polio was The ministry said the disease was confirmed on Friday through laboratory tests in Amman, Jordan.

The Palestinian Health Ministry warned on Saturday that the detection of the first confirmed case of polio in Gaza was an indication that there were hundreds of undetected cases.

“It is scientifically known that out of 200 viral infections, only one shows the full symptoms of polio, while the remaining cases may only show mild symptoms such as a cold or mild fever,” Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan said at a press conference.

Abu Ramadan announced that a large-scale polio vaccination campaign for children under 10 years of age will begin in Gaza in the next few days. It will be supervised by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Minister of Health explained that the vaccination campaign will be carried out in two phases; The first involves 1.2 million doses of polio vaccine type 2 and the second involves the procurement of an additional 400,000 doses.

“New health crisis” – Poliovirus discovered in Gaza Strip wastewater

The first case of polio was The infection was confirmed on Friday by laboratory tests in Amman, Jordan, the ministry said. The incident came a month after the virus that causes polio and has a mortality rate of 15 to 30 percent was detected in the water of the besieged enclave.

The announcement comes amid “the challenging “Health conditions in the Gaza Strip are very poor, including the spread of infectious diseases, sewage overflow into the streets and tents of displaced people, and the lack of personal hygiene items and clean drinking water,” the Health Ministry said.

The WHO announced last month that vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2) found“ at six locations in wastewater samples collected on June 23 in the Khan Yunis and Deir Al-Balah areas of the Gaza Strip.

The highly contagious viral disease attacks the nervous system and can lead to complete paralysis within a few hours.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a decisive “polio pause” to allow for a vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip.

Polio outbreak expected in the coming days and weeks – experts

Shocking death toll

Israel is ignoring a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire and is facing international criticism for its ongoing brutal offensive on Gaza.

Israel, which is currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against the Palestinians, has been waging a devastating war against Gaza since October 7.

According to the Gaza Health Ministry In Israel's genocide in the Gaza Strip, which began on October 7, 40,099 Palestinians were killed and 92,609 injured.

In addition, at least 11,000 people are missing and are believed to be lying dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Gaza Strip.

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According to Israel, 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the flood relief operation in Al-Aqsa on October 7. Israeli media reported that many Israelis were killed by friendly fire that day.

Palestinian and international organizations say the majority of the dead and injured are women and children.

The Israeli war led to an acute famine, especially in the north of the Gaza Strip, and caused the deaths of many Palestinians, especially children.

The Israeli aggression also resulted in the forced displacement of nearly two million people from across the Gaza Strip. The vast majority of those displaced were forced to the densely populated southern city of Rafah, near the Egyptian border. It was the largest mass exodus from Palestine since the Nakba of 1948.

As the war progressed, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians began to move from the south to central Gaza in search of safety.

(Anadolu, WAFA, PC)