New York/Gaza: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged all parties involved in the conflict in Gaza to immediately provide concrete assurances for humanitarian pauses, allowing a polio vaccination campaign to proceed in the region.
During a press conference at the United Nations on Friday, Guterres emphasized the urgency of preventing and containing a potential polio outbreak in Gaza, warning that a coordinated and swift effort is necessary. “Let’s be clear: The ultimate vaccine for polio is peace and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” he said. “But in any case, a polio pause is a must. It is impossible to conduct a polio vaccination campaign with war raging all over.”
Polio Case Confirmed in Gaza
The Palestinian Health Ministry announced on Friday that a 10-month-old baby in the city of Deir Al-Balah was confirmed as the first case of polio in the Gaza Strip. The child had not received any doses of the polio vaccine.
In response, Guterres said the U.N. is prepared to launch a polio vaccination campaign targeting children under the age of 10 in Gaza, but the challenges are immense. The campaign will require at least 95% vaccination coverage in each of the two rounds to effectively halt the spread of the virus. Given the widespread destruction and lack of resources in Gaza, Guterres noted that facilitating the transport of vaccines and refrigeration equipment, ensuring the entry of polio experts, and securing reliable internet and phone services will be critical to the campaign’s success.
Also Read | Captured Ukrainian Soldiers Accuse Russia of Deception
Polio Threatens Beyond Gaza
Polio has been detected in sewage samples from Gaza’s Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis governorates, according to Dr. Hamid Jafari, a polio specialist with the World Health Organization (WHO). During a news conference earlier this month, Jafari said the virus may have been circulating since September.
A senior Western official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that there is at least one confirmed case of polio and two suspected cases among Palestinians in Gaza. The official also warned that the threat of disease outbreaks extends beyond Gaza’s borders, calling the situation a “contagion time bomb.” With the rainy season approaching, the official explained that contaminated raw sewage could seep into an aquifer that supplies water to Israel, Egypt, and Jordan.
Urgent Need for Humanitarian Ceasefires
Guterres stressed that conducting a successful vaccination campaign is impossible without humanitarian ceasefires. He pointed out that the conflict has severely disrupted normal vaccination efforts for children, leaving those under five years old, especially infants under two, most at risk. Public health officials and aid groups have expressed deep concern over the vulnerability of Gaza’s population to disease outbreaks, exacerbated by the deteriorating health services in the enclave.
Poliomyelitis, spread primarily through the fecal-oral route, is a highly infectious virus that attacks the nervous system and can cause paralysis, with children being the most vulnerable.
