Polio scare mounts in Gaza Strip

Abu al-Jedian and his wife, Nevine, Palestinian residents of Gaza, fled their home in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip when Israel's war with Hamas, which rules Gaza, began in October last year. They raised their eight children in a difficult life of moving from shelter to shelter.

Their children were a source of joy as they endured the hardships of life as refugees. Their youngest child, Abdelrahman, born in September last year, just before the war broke out, was their treasure. He smiled easily, developed faster than his older siblings, and was the center of the family's affection.

Last month, Abdelrahman contracted polio and lost the use of his left leg forever. He was born during the war and never received any immunizations, including polio. There is no cure for polio once symptoms appear.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), polio vaccinations were running smoothly in Gaza before the outbreak of war. Health experts had feared that the prolonged war would lead to a virtual collapse of Gaza's healthcare system, leading to outbreaks of preventable diseases such as polio. The fear became a reality, as evidenced by Abdelrahman's infection.

“The polio virus spreads through contaminated water, including sewage. It is highly contagious,” the WHO warned. It is estimated that there are hundreds of children who are asymptomatic but already infected with polio. At least two babies have already shown symptoms of polio, the Associated Press reported.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is set to resume vaccinating Gaza's children against polio on August 31. However, there are concerns about whether the vaccinations will go smoothly as Hamas and Israel's ceasefire negotiations have stalled.


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