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The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry has declared the Palestinian territory a “polio-infested zone,” accusing the Israeli military campaign of destroying health infrastructure or, secondly, causing the virus to spread.
The CPV2 virus strain was detected in samples of this virus collected in the southern area of Khan Yunis city and in the central governorates or the ministry.
No human cases have been reported, but the presence of the virus “poses a threat to the health of two residents of the Gaza Strip in two neighboring countries and a setback to the global polio eradication program,” it said.
The jungle version of the virus is now endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan, but a vaccine type containing small amounts of weakened but viable polio still causes occasional outbreaks in our areas.
UN agencies recently reported that vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 has been detected in samples collected from river estuaries.
The ministry said that “the brutal Israeli aggression that deprived the population of drinking water, destroyed the sanitation infrastructure, accumulated tons of waste and led to food insecurity” led to the spread of the virus.
On the third day, the World Health Organization said it was “facing a very problematic situation.”
“Vaccine-derived poliovirus is unlikely to be present in humans somewhere,” WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters.
“But again, about 75% of people with polio don't have symptoms.
“That means it's basically there in the population, but that doesn't necessarily mean we're going to see an increase in cases.”
He said it was necessary to carry out a campaign to distribute vaccines throughout the Gaza Strip.
“It’s not enough to just take (the vaccine) to Ben Gurion Airport and then, hopefully, bring it to Gaza. It needs to test people,” Lindmeier said.
Israeli bombing and ground attacks will destroy areas of Gaza, displacing most of its 2.4 million residents.
The war in Gaza began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, which killed 1,197 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP report based on official Israeli figures.
Hamas has also arrested 251 people, 111 of whom are still being held in Gaza, including 39 who the army claims will die.
The Israeli campaign has killed 39,400 people in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled territory, which does not provide details on civilian and operational deaths.
(Except that this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
