2024 Gaza Strip polio epidemic
| 2024 Gaza Strip polio outbreak | |
|---|---|
A displaced child receives a polio vaccination in an UNRWA shelter in Beach camp, Gaza Strip | |
| Disease | Polio |
| Virus strain | Circulating vaccine–derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) |
| Source | Wastewater |
| Location | Khan Yunis and Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip |
| First reported | Central Gaza Strip |
| Date | 16 July 2024 – present |
| Confirmed cases | 1 |
| Active cases | 1 |
| Suspected cases‡ | 3 |
| ‡Suspected cases have not been confirmed by laboratory tests as being due to this strain, although some other strains may have been ruled out. | |
The 2024 Gaza Strip polio epidemic is an ongoing outbreak of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in the Gaza Strip, first discovered on 16 July 2024 and officially declared an epidemic by the Gaza health ministry on 29 July. The epidemic marked the first occurrence of poliovirus in the Gaza Strip since the virus was completely eradicated from the region 25 years prior.
The Gaza health ministry stated that the epidemic presented a significant risk to Gaza's citizens and to bordering countries, and called the outbreak "a setback to the global polio eradication program". The World Health Organization reported that it was "very likely" that polio cases infected citizens of Gaza and were spreading among its population, although detecting cases would be very challenging due to the virus being asymptomatic in most cases and due to Israeli medical blockades preventing confirmation of cases.
On 16 August, tests in Jordan confirmed the first polio infection in Gaza, located in the central Gaza strip. So far the United Nations has confirmed one case of paralysis in a 10-month-old baby.
On 29 August 2024, Israel made a "preliminary commitment" to comply to pauses in the fighting to facilitate a vaccination campaign. 14 days later the World Health Organization reported that polio vaccination for children of the Gaza strip was achieved.