UN Chief sounds alarm about polio outbreak in Gaza Strip

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday called for warring parties in Gaza to lay down their arms so that humanitarians can safely vaccinate more than half a million children against polio.

Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, he said: “I am appealing to all parties to provide concrete assurances right away guaranteeing humanitarian pauses for the campaign.

“Let’s be clear; The ultimate vaccine for polio is peace and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. But in any case, a Polio Pause is a must.”

Guterres described Gaza as being in “a humanitarian freefall” because “just when it seems the situation could not get worse for Palestinians in Gaza, the suffering grows – and the world watches.”

The poliovirus was recently detected in sewage samples in two locations, Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah, meaning that the disease – which can cause paralysis – is circulating in the enclave and putting thousands of children at risk.

“Polio does not care about dividing lines – and polio does not wait,” the UN chief warned.

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The UN is set to launch a two-phase campaign to vaccinate more than 640,000 children in Gaza under the age of 10.

Guterres outlined the grave challenges these efforts face. He said Gaza’s health, water and sanitation systems have been decimated, most hospitals and primary care facilities are not functional, and people are constantly forced to run to seek safety.

Furthermore, routine immunizations have been severely disrupted due to the conflict, thus increasing the spread of measles, hepatitis A and other preventable diseases.

“Given the wholesale devastation in Gaza, at least 95 per cent vaccination coverage will be needed during each round of the two-round campaign to prevent polio’s spread and reduce its emergence.”

Stressing that “it is impossible to conduct a polio vaccination campaign with war raging all over,” Guterres further warned of the potential for wider consequences.

“Polio goes beyond politics. It transcends all divisions. And so it is our shared obligation to come together. To mobilize – not to fight people, but to fight polio,” he maintained.

He reiterated the need to “defeat a vicious virus that, left unchecked, would have a disastrous effect not only for Palestinian children in Gaza, but also in neighboring countries and the region.”