Baby paralyzed in Gaza’s first case of type 2 polio for 25 years, WHO says
Baby paralyzed in Gaza’s first case of type 2 polio for 25 years, WHO says
By Tala Ramadan
DUBAI, Aug 23 (Reuters) – A 10-month-old baby in war-shattered Gaza has been paralysed by the type 2 polio virus, the first such case in the territory in 25 years, the World Health Organization said on Friday, with U.N. agencies appealing for urgent vaccinations of every baby.
The type 2 virus (cVDPV2), while not inherently more dangerous than types 1 and 3, has been responsible
for most outbreaks in recent years, especially in areas with low vaccination rates.
U.N. agencies have called for Israel and Gaza’s dominant Palestinian militant group Hamas to agree to a seven-day humanitarian pause in their 10-month-old war to allow vaccination campaigns to proceed in the territory.
“Polio does not distinguish between Palestinian and Israeli children,” the head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said on Friday in a post on X.
“Delaying a humanitarian pause will increase the risk of spread among children,” Philippe Lazzarini added.
Reuters
