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The American television channel CNN, citing the Ministry of Health of Gaza and the World Health Organization (WHO), reported alarming news: the highly contagious polio virus was detected in the sewage of the Gaza Strip. This puts thousands of Palestinians at risk of contracting a disease that can cause paralysis.
On 23 June, six sites in Khan Yunis and Deir el-Balah collected sewage samples in which WHO detected poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2). WHO specialists linked these results to the “catastrophic sanitary situation that developed after Israel’s military attack on Gaza.” WHO emphasized that so far the virus has been detected only in the environment and cases of paralytic diseases among the population have not been recorded.
WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus expressed concern: “Until October 7, polio vaccination rates were optimal, but Israel’s war against Hamas has created the perfect conditions for diseases like polio to spread.” The destruction of the health care system, the shortage of medicines, the difficulty of access to medical care and the deterioration of sanitary living conditions increase the risk of the spread of infections.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza urged the population to carefully observe personal hygiene. “The discovery of the polio virus in sewage poses a real threat to health and puts thousands of residents at risk,” the ministry said in a statement, which also demanded “an immediate end to Israeli aggression.”
WHO recalls that polio was eradicated in Gaza more than 25 years ago, and pre-war vaccination coverage reached 95% in 2022. Polio is a life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. The virus is highly contagious and can be transmitted through contact with the faeces of an infected person and droplets from sneezing or coughing.
In unsanitary conditions, poliovirus can easily contaminate food and water, increasing the risk of its spread. People who do not have symptoms but have a mild form of polio can also transmit the virus to others, making the situation even more alarming.
The Gaza Strip is on the brink of an epidemic, and only urgent measures to improve sanitation and resume vaccination programs can avert catastrophe.
