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The World Health Organization and UNICEF called for a seven-day ceasefire to begin a mass vaccination campaign for 640,000 children.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health announced on Friday that the first case of polio was detected in Gaza. The virus was detected in the city of Deir al-Balah. The infected person is a 10-month-old child who has not received a single dose of the vaccine. TASR reported the incident, according to Reuters.
The first confirmed case was previously reported by an unnamed source at the Reuters agency, who also said two other people were suspected of having the disease.
On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) called for a seven-day ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave with the aim of starting a mass vaccination campaign for 640,000 children. The Palestinian militant movement Hamas agreed to the proposal. Israel has not yet commented.
Vaccination rates among newborns in the Gaza Strip have dropped dramatically since Israel began its offensive on the Palestinian enclave. Intense fighting has left most children without access to health care. Writing for The Guardian, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that before the conflict, 99% of children were vaccinated, compared with 86% in July this year.
The WHO reminds that the virus was last seen in the Gaza Strip 25 years ago.
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