Gaza Sees Return Of THIS Disease After 25 Years Adding To War Woes, UN Chief Calls For Ceasefire

The confirmation of the infection came after UN chief Antonio Guterres called for a ceasefire in the 11 month old war between Israel and Hamas that has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians.

Gaza has recorded its first case of polio in the last 25 years as the Israel-Hamas war, which has killed more than 40,000 civilians, enters its 11th month, said the Palestinian health ministry on Friday. 

Tests in Jordan confirmed the disease in an unvaccinated 10-month-old infant from the central Gaza Strip, said the health ministry in Ramallah, reported AFP. 

As per the United Nations, the besieged coastal strip did not register a polio case for 25 years, although type 2 poliovirus was detected in samples collected from the territory's wastewater in June.

"Doctors suspected the presence of symptoms consistent with polio," the health ministry said. "After conducting the necessary tests in the Jordanian capital, Amman, the infection was confirmed."

The case was confirmed shortly after UN chief Antonio Guterres called for pauses in the Israel-Hamas war to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of children. Guterres urged for two seven-day breaks in the Gaza war to vaccinate more than 6,40,000 children. 

Poliovirus is a highly contagious infection which most often spreads through sewage and contaminated water, affecting mainly children under the age of five. It can lead to deformities and paralysis and is potentially fatal.

The health and children's agencies of the UN said they made detailed plans to reach children across the besieged Palestinian territory but would require pauses in the war. 

"Preventing and containing the spread of polio will take a massive, coordinated and urgent effort," Guterres told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.

"I am appealing to all parties to provide concrete assurances right away guaranteeing humanitarian pauses for the campaign."

WHO and UN Children's Fund UNICEF said they planned two seven-day vaccination drives across the Gaza Strip, starting in late August, against type 2 poliovirus (cVDPV2). 

It was announced last month that type 2 poliovirus had been detected in samples collected in Gaza on June 23.

"These pauses in fighting would allow children and families to safely reach health facilities and community outreach workers to get to children who cannot access health facilities for polio vaccination," the agencies said in a statement.