In the wake of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, Gaza is facing a new crisis: after 25 years, the polio epidemic has broken out again. Aid organizations and the UN are urgently calling for a humanitarian ceasefire so that more than 640,000 children can be vaccinated. They fear a large-scale outbreak in the war-torn region, where health systems are collapsing.

Polio case detected in 10-month-old child

• First polio case: The Palestinian Health Ministry announced that Gaza had detected its first case of polio in 25 years. After tests in Jordan, the disease was confirmed in a 10-month-old child in central Gaza.
• Viruses in wastewater: In July, poliovirus type 2 was detected in wastewater in the Gaza Strip at six different locations, suggesting that the virus is spreading through the region’s compromised sanitation systems.

How does the war hinder vaccination efforts?

• Logistical challenges: The aim is to ensure the delivery of over 1.6 million vaccine doses via Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, maintain the cold chain for vaccine storage and ensure the safe passage of medical teams to Gaza.

• Health system in crisis: The eleven-month war has destroyed the Gaza Strip’s health infrastructure, with many hospitals destroyed or out of service. The region is experiencing severe shortages of medical supplies, hygiene products and clean water.
• Overcrowded refugee camps: Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians live in makeshift camps where inadequate sanitation, inadequate sewage disposal and limited access to clean water are breeding grounds for the virus.
• Effects of the Israeli offensive: According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the ongoing Israeli military campaign has claimed over 40,000 lives, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis and making medical interventions even more difficult.

UN urgently calls for ceasefire in Gaza

• Guterres’ appeal: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for immediate humanitarian pauses in the conflict to carry out a polio vaccination campaign.

Preventing and containing the spread of polio requires massive, coordinated and urgent efforts

Antonio Guterres

• Vaccination plan: WHO and UNICEF have developed detailed plans to deliver the new oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) to over 640,000 children under 10 years of age in two rounds, with the first phase scheduled to begin in late August, followed by a second phase in September.
• Ceasefire essential for success: The UN organizations stress that the success of the vaccination campaign depends on a ceasefire, which would allow families safe access to health facilities and enable social workers to reach isolated children.

Polio threat to the Middle East

• Health risks outside Gaza: The WHO warned that the spread of polio in the Gaza Strip could pose a threat to neighboring regions and stressed the need for an urgent international response.
• Warnings from aid organizations: Francis Hughes, CARE International’s Gaza response director, highlighted the danger, saying: “We are expecting and preparing for the worst-case scenario of a polio outbreak in the coming weeks or months.”
• Support from Hamas: Hamas supports the UN’s call for a ceasefire to carry out the vaccination campaign and demands the delivery of vital medical supplies and food to the population.
• Israel’s preventive measures: In response to the outbreak, Israel began vaccinating its soldiers against polio, but at the same time strictly restricted the access of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

What will happen?

• Waiting for ceasefire agreement: As the situation in Gaza deteriorates, the window of opportunity to prevent a large-scale polio outbreak is rapidly closing. The international community is now focused on achieving a temporary ceasefire that will allow humanitarian agencies to carry out life-saving vaccination efforts.