The Israeli military, IDF, is to vaccinate its soldiers against polio after high concentrations of the highly contagious virus were found in the sewage system in Gaza.
The vaccination of the soldiers will begin in Israel in the coming weeks, reports the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
The World Health Organization, WHO, assesses that there is a high risk in Gaza of the spread of polio, which can lead to deformities and paralysis in children, in the wake of Israel's attack on the strip. No cases of polio have been confirmed so far, according to WHO.
Sewage water flows between the tents used by tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees in Gaza. IDF's healthcare personnel in Gaza have been urged to be extra careful with personal hygiene and to monitor symptoms among the soldiers. IDF emphasizes that the soldiers do not use Gaza's water system and that the army brings large quantities of water from Israel for drinking and hygiene, writes Haaretz.
Gaza's healthcare has deteriorated severely due to Israeli bombings since the war between Hamas and Israel began in October last year. Only 16 of 36 hospitals are partially functional.
WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier tells AFP that the findings of poliovirus are "extremely worrying" and that WHO believes many more diseases are spreading "out of control" in Gaza.
And it was sadly expected since the entire population of Gaza has been deprived of essential healthcare aimed at preventing and controlling the spread of diseases for over nine months, says Lindmeier to AFP.
