WHO Sends over 1 Mln Polio Vaccine Doses to Gaza

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Friday that it will send more than one million doses of polio vaccine to Gaza.

The distribution of these vaccines will take place over the coming weeks to prevent children from contracting the virus, which was recently detected in sewage samples from the region.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus shared this news in an opinion piece for the British newspaper The Guardian.

He stated that although no polio cases have been recorded so far, without immediate action, it is only a matter of time before thousands of unprotected children become infected.

Ghebreyesus emphasized that children under the age of five, particularly infants under two, are the most vulnerable to this virus.

Regular vaccination campaigns have been disrupted due to the ongoing conflict, which has lasted for nine months.

Polio, a highly contagious virus that spreads mainly through the oral-fecal route, attacks the nervous system and can cause paralysis.

Thanks to mass vaccination campaigns, polio cases have decreased by 99% globally since 1988. Efforts to completely eradicate the virus continue.

In response to the detection of the virus in Gaza, the Israeli army announced on Sunday that it would begin vaccinating its soldiers stationed in the region against polio.

In addition to polio, the United Nations reported a significant increase in cases of hepatitis A, dysentery, and gastroenteritis in Gaza last week. 

The deteriorating health conditions are largely due to sewage leakage into the streets near some displacement camps.