Geneva – Ma’an – The World Health Organization revealed today, Tuesday, that there is a high possibility of the risk of the spread of epidemics, especially the polio virus, in and around the Gaza Strip, due to the deteriorating health situation and the sewage system.
“Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 has been detected in samples of sewage in Gaza,” said Ayadil Saparbekov, head of the WHO health emergency team in Gaza and the West Bank, in press statements.
He stressed that there is a great risk of the spread of vaccine-derived polio virus in Gaza, not only because of its discovery, but because of the very poor situation regarding sanitation and water pollution.
He stated that teams from the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are scheduled to arrive in Gaza next Thursday to assess the risks related to discovering the virus.
Saparbekov said the assessment, which he hopes will be completed by the end of this week, will allow health officials to issue recomm
endations, including the need for a mass vaccination campaign, as well as the type of vaccine to use and the age group of the population that will need to be vaccinated.
Source: Maan News Agency
