The First Case Of Polio In The Southern Gaza Strip Confirmed In A 10-month-old Baby

Children Gaza in refugee camps. (Twitter/@UNRWA)

JAKARTA - The Palestinian Ministry of Health on Friday recorded the first case of the polio virus in the southern Gaza Strip hit by war.

The ministry said in a press release that the case was found in a 10-month-old baby who had not received a polio vaccination in Deir al-Balah City.

The doctor suspected it was showing the same symptoms as polio. The test conducted in Amman confirmed that the newborn contracted the type of polio virus from the vaccine (VDPV).

The ministry confirmed that it will carry out an important polio vaccination in the coming days targeting children under the age of 10, with the record that 1.200.000 doses of type 2 polio vaccine have been secured in coordination with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and efforts are underway to secure 400,000 doses.

"The Gaza Strip is facing a health catastrophe as a result of the ongoing Israeli genocide aggression, explaining that the lack of basic cleaning and sanitation equipment as well as wastewater services, piles of garbage in the streets and around refugee shelters, in addition to the lack of safe drinking water, has created an environment that supports the spread of many epidemics, including water-borne diseases, such as VDPV," the ministry said., reported from WAFA August 17.

The ministry also urged the public and international health organizations to immediately intervene to stop Israeli genocide aggression in the Gaza Strip, creating conditions to save what is possible and immediately provide health services for Gaza's population.

The ministry also called on all international organizations and agencies to take immediate action to rebuild safe drinking water and wastewater systems, dispose of solid and medical waste, ensure the entry of fuel to pump clean freshwater, and secure the entry of unconditional medical and clean supplies into the Gaza Strip.