The World Health Organization revealed today, Tuesday, that there is a high possibility of an outbreak of epidemics, especially the polio virus, in and around the Gaza Strip, due to the deteriorating health situation and sewage system.
The head of the World Health Organization's health emergency team in Gaza and the West Bank, Ayadil Saparbekov, said in press statements, "CVDPV type 2 was detected from samples of wastewater in Gaza."
He stressed that there is a high risk of the spread of the vaccine-derived polio virus in Gaza, not only because of its discovery, but also 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 the discovery of the virus.
Saparbekov noted that the assessment, which he hopes will be completed by the end of this week, will allow health officials to issue recommendations, including the need for a large-scale vaccination campaign, as well as the type of vaccine that should be used and the age group of the population that will need to be vaccinated.
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WHO warns of polio outbreak in Gaza Strip