UN urges ‘polio pause’ in Gaza war to tackle virus

Guterres, speaking to reporters at the United Nations, appealed for assurances to be provided right away as he warned that preventing and containing the spread of polio in Gaza would take a massive coordinated and urgent effort.

“It is impossible to conduct a polio vaccination campaign with war raging all over.”

“Let’s be clear: The ultimate vaccine for polio is peace and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire,” Guterres said.

“But in any case, a polio pause is a must. It is impossible to conduct a polio vaccination campaign with war raging all over.”

Guterres added the UN is poised to launch a polio vaccine campaign in Gaza for children under the age of 10, but said the “challenges are grave.”

At least 95% vaccination coverage will be needed during each of the two rounds of the campaign to prevent polio’s spread and reduce its emergence given the devastation in Gaza, Guterres said. He added that a successful campaign will require the facilitation of transport for vaccines and refrigeration equipment at every step, the entry of polio experts into Gaza, reliable internet and phone services, and other elements.

Gaza’s Health Ministry declared a polio epidemic in the Palestinian enclave last month, blaming Israel’s ongoing military offensive.

On Friday, it announced in a statement that it has detected the first confirmed case of polio in the Gaza Strip in the city of Deir el-Balah for a 10-month-old baby who had not received any polio vaccination dose.

The UN says Gaza had been free from polio for 25 years.

Poliomyelitis, which is spread mainly through the fecal-oral route, is a highly infectious virus that can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis.