The World Health Organization (WHO) He assured this Tuesday that he was “extremely worried” before a Possible polio outbreak in Gaza after detecting vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2) in six environmental samples taken in the Strip.
Although the virus has only been isolated from the environmentthe health agency of the UN He assured that there is a “high risk of spread” of this outbreak within Loop and at an international level if action is not taken in a “fast and optimal”.
“We consider that there is a high risk of spread of the circulating poliovirus not only due to its detection, but also due to the serious situation of water sanitation in the Strip.“, he said via virtual conference from Loop the head of the emergency services of the WHO in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Ayadil Saberkov.
The local official assured that the WHO is already developing an epidemiological investigation and a risk assessment on the ground to identify the source of the poliovirus detected and determine the necessary recommendations in the event of a possible outbreak.
These recommendations will include, for example, the need for a mass vaccination campaign, the type of vaccine to be used and the population group to be vaccinated.
However, when asked about the health situation in the Strip, Saberkov acknowledged that the implementation of these measures will be “very difficult“due to the near complete paralysis of the Gazan health system, the lack of water and sanitation and the difficulty for the population to access health services.
Given this situation, he said he was “very worried” not only because of a possible outbreak of polio, but also “due to the different outbreaks of communicable diseases that may occur in Loop”.
The WHO expects to conclude its evaluation work during this week and will also forward its recommendations to the health authorities from neighbouring countries, including Egypt, Jordan and Israel, in order to prevent international spread.
Source: Gestion
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