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Gaza records first case of polio; virus detected in 10-month-old child

The UN chief warned that the virus has spread and hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza are now vulnerable to infection

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Palestinian children carrying empty containers walk near stagnant wastewater, on their way to a food distribution point in Deir Al Balah in the central Gaza Strip. — Photo: AFP file

By WAM

Published: Sat 17 Aug 2024, 11:14 AM

Last updated: Sat 17 Aug 2024, 11:16 AM

An unvaccinated 10-month-old child was diagnosed with polio in the southern Gaza city of Deir Al Balah — in what is considered the first case of the virus in the war-torn enclave, the Palestinian health officials announced.

Doctors suspected that the newborn exhibited symptoms identical to those of polio. Tests conducted in Amman confirmed that the newborn contracted a strain of vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV), the health ministry said in a statement published by the Palestinian News and Information Agency (Wafa).

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In the same advisory, the ministry said a polio vaccination campaign will be carried out in the next few days targeting children under 10 years old.

Palestine has secured 1.2 million type 2 polio vaccine doses in coordination with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), and work is underway to secure 400,000 doses, it added.

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres called for humanitarian pauses to make way for a polio vaccine campaign after the virus was detected in the war-torn Gaza Strip.

Speaking at a Press conference in New York, Guterres appealed to all parties to provide concrete assurances of a humanitarian pause right away, reiterating that "the ultimate vaccine for polio is peace and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire".

"A polio pause is a must. It is impossible to conduct a polio vaccination campaign with war raging all over," he said.

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WAM

Published: Sat 17 Aug 2024, 11:14 AM

Last updated: Sat 17 Aug 2024, 11:16 AM

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