Risk of polio outbreak in Gaza Strip

Health authorities in the Gaza Strip have announced that they have detected the polio virus in wastewater samples collected in the area, an alarming situation as the Gaza Strip is flooded with hundreds of thousands of tons of domestic waste and debris from the long-running conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Polio virus detected in wastewater samples in Gaza. Photo: Guardian

According to the health authority in the Gaza Strip on July 18, the results of the analysis of two wastewater samples in the area just released showed that thousands of evacuees living in tents could be infected with a highly contagious disease that can cause deformities and paralysis, spreading the seeds of a new medical disaster. The agency called on Israel to stop the attacks so that clean water can be brought in and the wastewater treatment system can be restarted.

According to the Guardian, the Israeli Ministry of Health also said that tests at an Israeli laboratory had detected the poliovirus type 2 in wastewater samples in Gaza. According to the Israeli Ministry of Health, these samples “raise concern about the presence of the virus in the area”. The ministry is also “monitoring and evaluating the necessary steps to prevent the risk of disease in Israel”. On July 18, the World Health Organization also made similar findings.

United Nations (UN) agencies have warned that since the war broke out, in addition to hunger, people in the Gaza Strip have also faced rapidly spreading diseases such as scabies, chickenpox, skin rashes, lice, even cholera and other serious diseases.

UN agencies have campaigned for four decades to eradicate polio, which is typically spread through sewage and contaminated water. In recent years, the disease has re-emerged in Afghanistan, Pakistan and isolated cases in Nigeria.

KHANH HUNG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/nguy-co-bung-phat-virus-bai-liet-o-dai-gaza-post750061.html