Poliovirus detected in Gaza sewage puts thousands at risk amid increasing ‘anarchy’
In Gaza, tests conducted by the Global Polio Laboratory Network have confirmed the presence of poliovirus in six sewage samples collected on 23 June from Khan Younis and Deir al Balah.
The latest health threat has been exacerbated by severe overcrowding caused by repeated forced displacement, scarce and contaminated water supplies, accumulated garbage and the limited access of humanitarian aid into Gaza, including hygiene supplies.
Polio is a very contagious viral disease that attacks the nervous system and can cause paralysis within hours, warned the UN World Health Organization (WHO). For the time being, however, “the virus has been isolated from the environment and there's no associated paralytic case or any cases that have been detected,” said WHO spokesperson Christian Lindmeier.
According to the UN health agency, the escalation of hostilities in the Strip has led to a rise in deaths and injuries, severe overcrowding in camps and the disruption of health, water, and sewage systems, all contributing to the spread of infectious diseases.
As part of the response efforts, the UN health agency is working with the local health authority in Gaza, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) and partners to conduct risk assessments, determine the scope of poliovirus spread and decide on measures necessary to stop it, including prompt vaccination campaigns.
“The coverage rates in Gaza were optimal before the start of the ongoing war,” Mr. Lindmeier told journalists in Geneva. “Polio vaccination coverage primarily conducted through routine immunization was estimated at 89 per cent in 2023, according to the latest WHO-UNICEF routine immunization estimates,” he added.
UN agencies reiterated their call for an immediate halt to the fighting so that clean water could be brought in and sewage networks repaired.
The acute humanitarian crisis, desperation and scarcity is also affecting public order. The United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) warned that "anarchy" is spreading in the Gaza Strip, with looting, unlawful killings and shootings.
Just back from a visit to Gaza on Thursday, Ajith Sunghay, head of OHCHR for Gaza and the West Bank, said that there is no law enforcement in the Strip. “There is looting, some opportunistic, some in the north, more because they're hungry,” he explained. “Beyond that, you also have many so-called ‘family disputes’. You hear a lot of bullets flying. And this is not between only the (Israeli Defense Forces) IDF and the Palestinians. Within these communities there is chaos. This is the anarchy we talk about, and it's extremely dangerous as well. We want the police to be back on the street and to bring some order there.”
The UN human rights officer insisted that the absence of law enforcement has been caused by Israel's dismantling of local capacity to maintain public order and safety in Gaza.
UNICEF spokesperson James Elder emphasized the responsibility of Israel as the occupying power in Gaza to fulfil its obligations under international law: “This is the legal responsibility of Israel, not just to facilitate aid getting in, but then to facilitate the safe distribution of that aid. None of these things has been happening for nine months," he maintained.
Gaza is one of the most difficult operating environments of all time because there are inefficiencies on the ground. “What there are is disease on the ground, bombs from the sky and a deliberate, consistent willingness of authorities who have the legal and military power to prevent lifesaving aid going into Gaza,” Mr. Elder said.
Echoing that message, the WHO’s Christian Lindmeier pointed to the “evidence on the ground. Let journalists go into Gaza and let them see for themselves what's going on. Compare the evidence with the words and the rest speaks for itself.”
As pressure mounts on the Israeli government over a ceasefire deal, a large majority of the Knesset voted a resolution on Thursday against the establishment of a Palestinian state, west of the Jordan River. The UN Secretary General expressed his disappointment and reiterated his belief that ending the occupation and negotiating a two-State solution were key to a peaceful future for the people of Palestine and Israel.
This would involve Israelis living side by side with an independent, democratic, contiguous, viable and sovereign Palestinian State, António Guterres said, in peace and security within secure and recognized borders, based on the 1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states.
Ends
Story: “Gaza: Polio alert and anarchy – WHO, OHCHR, UNICEF” – 19 July 2024
Speakers:
TRT: 02’56”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 19 July 2024 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
Geneva Press briefing
SHOTLIST
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence & Ajith Sunghay, Head of UN Human Rights Office in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, on Gaza
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR
Sudan’s displaced have endured “unimaginable suffering” in their search for shelter from the country’s ongoing war, UN humanitarians warned on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘Exceptional achievement’: Humanitarians reach over 105,000 with polio vaccine in north Gaza
Despite ongoing attacks and access challenges, humanitarians have managed to inoculate over 105,000 children in north Gaza with the second and final dose of the oral polio vaccine, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
UN aid teams prepared to enter northern Gaza at the weekend to resume a mass polio vaccination campaign, the UN agency for Palestine refugees, UNRWA, said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WHO
Lebanon: widescale displacement continues amid ongoing bombing
In south and east Lebanon civilians continue to face airstrikes, mass forced displacement and deprivation as the fight between Israel and Hezbollah militia goes on against the backdrop of war in Gaza.
In recent days, an estimated 50,000 people have left Baalbek heading mostly to areas in the north of the Bekaa Valley, said Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN aid coordination office (OCHA).
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
Escalating violence in Sudan’s Al-Jazirah State adds to the dire displacement crisis in the country
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNCTAD
Publication of the Trade and Development Report 2024: Rethinking Development in the Age of Discontent
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM , OCHA , UNICEF , WHO , OHCHR
‘If UNRWA can’t operate, humanitarian system in Gaza will collapse’ – UN
The UN humanitarian and human rights community reacted forcefully on Tuesday to the vote by the Israeli Knesset banning the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), warning of the devastating impact on millions of Palestinians who depend on it.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
New data released by the UN on Monday indicating that greenhouse gases have hit a record high shows once again that urgent action and not words is needed from the world’s major polluters to protect us all from climate change, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) insisted.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNICEF , UNHCR
Gaza’s sick and injured face new attacks on health care, lethal evacuation delays – UN humanitarians
Amid reports of a new Israeli military raid on a Gaza hospital on Friday morning - and ongoing hostilities hindering polio vaccination in the north of the Strip - UN humanitarians pleaded again for the protection of health facilities and urgent medical evacuation of critically ill patients.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNFPA
Ukraine's birthrate plummets amid war, prompting a new demographic strategy.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , UNIFIL
UN peacekeepers determined to stay in south Lebanon, while humanitarians report more civilian suffering in Gaza and West Bank
UN peacekeepers are keeping their positions in South Lebanon despite heavy shelling and targeted attacks; their commitment to bringing back stability to the region is unwavering, the UN said on Friday.