Polio returns to Gaza.
Polio has made a comeback in the Gaza Strip after 25 years, forcing the United Nations and local health authorities to launch a vaccination campaign in the Palestinian enclave ravaged by 11 months of war.
About 640,000 children under 10 years old are expected to receive oral drops of the polio vaccine amid limited pauses in fighting with campaigners saying Israel’s continued destruction of water and waste management infrastructure in Gaza is aiding the spread of the highly contagious disease.
The disease, which causes paralysis of limbs primarily in children below five years, has been nearly eradicated globally. But in recent years, it has re-emerged in several countries around the world.
What is polio?
Polio is a highly contagious viral disease that primarily affects children five years or younger. It can cause irreversible paralysis of the limbs.
“The virus spreading in Gaza is linked to a similar virus found circulating in Egypt, which traces back to the use of type 2 novel oral poliovirus vaccine used there for outbreak response,” said Kimberly Thompson, president of Kid Risk Inc, a nonprofit organisation, and a policy expert with more than two decades of experience modelling global poliovirus transmission. There is no cure for polio once a person is infected. However, it can be prevented through vaccinations administered orally or through injection.
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