Israel’s military offered the Polio vaccine to its soldiers in Gaza after tests confirmed that circulating vaccine-derived Polio virus (c-VDPV) type 2 was detected in water samples from Gaza two months ago.
Gaza - there is no level-playing field here, not even in healthcare. “Everything has to fall into place before sending messages to communities who are already scared, confused, and upset and who need clear information about the safety of bringing their children for vaccination” Hamid Jafari, Director of Polio Eradication for the World Health Organisation (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean region told The Lancet.
Read the full article published in The Lancet on 31-Aug-2024.
A 10-month-old baby in Gaza has been confirmed to have contracted Poliomyelitis. Ninety-nine percent of Gaza’s population was vaccinated against Poliovirus before the war which has now fallen to 86%. Two-thirds of Gaza’s 36 hospitals and 60% of primary healthcare facilities are destroyed, medical and food supplies to Gaza are delayed or denied by Israeli authorities and safe water and sanitation are rare to find.
Has the medical community failed Gaza? What do you think are the implications of this outbreak for the world? Let me know your comments below:
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Polio re-emerges here after 25 years
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Israel’s military offered the Polio vaccine to its soldiers in Gaza after tests confirmed that circulating vaccine-derived Polio virus (c-VDPV) type 2 was detected in water samples from Gaza two months ago.
Gaza - there is no level-playing field here, not even in healthcare. “Everything has to fall into place before sending messages to communities who are already scared, confused, and upset and who need clear information about the safety of bringing their children for vaccination” Hamid Jafari, Director of Polio Eradication for the World Health Organisation (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean region told The Lancet.
A 10-month-old baby in Gaza has been confirmed to have contracted Poliomyelitis. Ninety-nine percent of Gaza’s population was vaccinated against Poliovirus before the war which has now fallen to 86%. Two-thirds of Gaza’s 36 hospitals and 60% of primary healthcare facilities are destroyed, medical and food supplies to Gaza are delayed or denied by Israeli authorities and safe water and sanitation are rare to find.
Has the medical community failed Gaza? What do you think are the implications of this outbreak for the world? Let me know your comments below:
Calls for Gaza ceasefire to tackle poliovirus
Devi, Sharmila
The Lancet, Volume 404, Issue 10455, 837