Health authorities in the Gaza Strip confirmed the first case of polio in 25 years this month.

The infection of nearly one-year-old Abdul Rahman Abu Al-Jidyan with the virus and subsequent partial paralysis has accelerated plans for a mass vaccination campaign for children across the Strip, starting on September 1.

Israel and Hamas agreed to three separate three-day truces in the central, southern and northern Gaza Strip to allow thousands of UN workers to vaccinate children.

Where did the infection come from? 
The strain, known as cVDPV2, was detected in July in six wastewater samples collected from Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah.

The strain has also been detected in sewage in some developed countries in the past few years, and is the same one that infected Abdul Rahman Abu Al-Jidyan.

It is not yet clear how the strain reached Gaza, but genetic sequencing showed similarities to a mutant discovered in Egypt, which may have entered the Strip last September, according to the World Health Organization.

The World Health Organization says the decline in regular vaccination campaigns in the occupied Palestinian territories, including Gaza, has contributed to the resurgence of the disease.

Routine polio vaccination coverage was estimated at 99 percent in 2022 before declining to 89 percent last year.

Health workers say the shutdown of many hospitals in Gaza, often due to Israeli attacks or fuel restrictions, has contributed to the decline in vaccination rates.

Aid workers say deteriorating health conditions in Gaza, where open sewage and piles of garbage are widespread after nearly 11 months of war, have created conditions ripe for the virus to spread.

How is the vaccination campaign organized? 
Israel and Hamas agreed to three separate three-day truces in three areas to allow the first round of vaccination campaign to take place.

The campaign is scheduled to start in central Gaza, then move to the south, followed by the north of the Strip. There is an agreement to extend the truce in each area for a fourth day if necessary.

Vaccines released from the global emergency stockpile have arrived in Gaza. They are set to be used to vaccinate 640,000 children under the age of 10.

UN aid workers said about 2,700 health workers will vaccinate children with oral polio vaccine at medical centres, while mobile teams will visit thousands of people displaced by the war.

The Israeli Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) unit said the vaccination campaign will be carried out in coordination with the army within the framework of humanitarian truces that will allow residents to reach medical centers that will provide vaccinations.

A second round of the campaign is scheduled for late September.

What are the risks of polio outbreak?

The case, discovered in Gaza, of a child who was denied vaccination, is a setback for global polio efforts that have reduced cases by more than 99 percent since 1988, thanks to mass vaccination campaigns.
Wild polio is currently endemic only in Pakistan and Afghanistan, but more than 30 countries, including Egypt and Israel, remain on the World Health Organization's list as vulnerable to outbreaks.

The organization warned of the further spread of polio inside Gaza and across the borders due to the deterioration of health and hygiene conditions there.

Polio is a highly contagious virus that can affect the nervous system, causing paralysis and death in young children, with children under two years of age being the most vulnerable. Almost all cases do not show any symptoms, making it difficult to detect.