WHO warns Gaza polio infections among children ‘only a matter of time'
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that children in the besieged Gaza Strip will soon be infected by polio if preventative measures are not quickly taken.
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday expressed concern about the human cost of the barbaric Israeli campaign of death, destruction and genocide.
“The detection of polio in Gaza is another reminder of the dire conditions the population is facing,” Tedros wrote on X. “The persistence of the conflict hampers efforts to identify and respond to preventable threats such as polio.”
The UN helath agency earlier warned of a high risk of the polio virus spreading across the war-wracked Strip due to the poor sanitary conditions.
It added if the outbreak happens in the strip, it may spill over internationally at a very high point.
Gaza’s Health Ministry declared a polio epidemic across the besieged territory late on Monday after samples of the virus were found in sewage.
Palestinian health officials have already warned thousands of Gazans are at risk of contracting the virus.
Poliovirus is not the only concern people in Gaza are contending with. UN agencies have frequently warned of the outbreaks of cholera and other communicable diseases in the blockaded Palestinian territory.
Children bear brunt of Israeli war and humanitarian crisis
The Israeli genocidal campaign is taking a catastrophic toll on children.
Humanitarian organizations say Gaza’s children have been exposed to the traumatic experiences of war, the consequences of which will last a lifetime.
Around 1.9 million people – about 9 in 10 of Gaza’s population – are estimated to have been internally displaced. Half of them are children.
They do not have enough access to water, food, fuel and medicine. Their homes have been destroyed; their families torn apart.
Aid agencies say they need to be protected, along with the remaining services that they rely on, including medical facilities and shelter.
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