The Palestinian health ministry has reported the first incidence of polio in an unvaccinated 10-month-old child in Deir al-Balah in Gaza. This marks the first case in years in the region, which has been embroiled in the Israel-Hamas conflict. Upon observing symptoms in the child, tests were carried out in Amman, Jordan, confirming the presence of polio, as stated by the ministry.
The World Health Organization has not yet responded to requests for verification of the case. In light of this development, the U.N. health and children’s agencies are urging temporary ceasefires in the conflict by the end of August. The goal is to immunize 640,000 Palestinian children against polio, as the virus was detected in wastewater in two major cities last month.