Polio Detected in Gaza Sewage

Poliovirus has been detected in sewage water in Gaza, according to Israeli, Palestinian, and UN sources, highlighting the significant risk of disease as sanitation issues remain a pressing matter in Gaza..Ever-Worsening.As the war in Gaza has continued, public services have broken down. One of the absent services that has become most apparent is waste management services..Trash has begun to pile up on Gaza's streets. In many of the areas in which Gazan Palestinians have taken shelter, their tents are accompanied by mountains of trash in makeshift landfills, as there is simply nowhere else to put it..Further, Gaza's water treatment plants and sewage pumping stations have become heavily damaged by Israeli bombardments, or shut down due to a lack of resources. The severity of the problems wrought by the trash piles, contaminated water sources, and raw sewage has been worsened by the heat of the summer months..This has caused extreme sanitation issues within Gaza. Not only has the situation grown so bad that thousands of Palestinians are suffering from hepatitis, diarrhea, and other diseases, but invading Israeli soldiers are suffering as well..Two Israeli soldiers who deployed to Gaza are reported to have died from fungal infections that they contracted while deployed. More than a dozen other Israeli soldiers suffered from similar infections that they contracted in Gaza due to widespread contamination and sanitation issues..The UN has been warning about the spread of diseases for several months. Gaza's extreme population density, which has only grown higher with most of Gaza's 2.3 million people being moved into the same select few areas, heightens the risk for the spread of any disease that people are contaminated with..Polio is extremely infectious, particularly amongst children, which makes it particularly dangerous in Gaza, given the large portion of Gaza's population that is made up of minors..No cases of polio, or the symptoms of polio (which include paralysis), have yet been recorded in any of Gaza's population..However, tests on Gazan sewage from the Israeli Ministry of Health, the Gaza Ministry of Health, and the World Health Organization (WHO) have confirmed that the Poliovirus is present in Gaza's sewage..The statements on the matter from the Israeli and Gazan Ministries of Health may be viewed below:.The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza:.New health disaster.The Palestinian Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip announces that tests were conducted on sewage samples in coordination with UNICEF, and the results showed the presence of the virus that causes polio..The presence of the virus that causes polio in the sewage that collects and flows between the tents of the displaced and in the places where residents are located as a result of the destruction of the infrastructure represents a new health disaster, as there is severe crowding, scarcity of available water, contamination with sewage, accumulation of tons of garbage, and prevention of occupation. To introduce hygiene materials, as this creates a suitable environment for the spread of various epidemics..Detecting the virus that causes polio in sewage portends a real health disaster and exposes thousands of residents to the risk of contracting polio. The Ministry of Health calls for an immediate halt to the Israeli aggression, providing usable water, repairing sewage lines, and ending population crowding in places of displacement..-Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza..Israeli Ministry of Health:.The Ministry of Health informs that evidence of polio virus strains 2 was found in sewage samples from the Gaza area. The results of the samples are consistent with the results found by the World Health Organization in Egypt..The samples, which were tested in a laboratory in Israel approved by the World Health Organization, raise concerns that there is a presence of the virus in this area..As a general rule, polio tests are done regularly in the sewers in order to identify the potential for hidden disease..The Ministry of Health monitors and examines the necessary steps to prevent the risk of morbidity in Israel..Shira Solomon.Ministry of Health spokeswoman.Although there are no cases of polio at this time, sewage runs in close proximity to sheltering civilians, and carries the risk of overflowing, risking contamination. Health authorities from the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA, which deals with Palestinian refugees and civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and more), are working to determine how widespread the virus is within Gaza..Polio had been eradicated from Gaza 25 years ago, and Gaza's pre-war vaccination rate against the virus was approximately 95 percent..However, as the war has gone on, vaccinations have not been carried out. In addition, some of those who previously received vaccinations may be in need of a booster, in particular health workers that would be at the forefront of any breakout of the virus..Additionally concerning is the state of Gaza's healthcare system, which has also suffered extensively during the war and would be incapable of handling any major disease outbreaks..The IDF has yet to acknowledge the reports of polio.