Polio in Gaza a global threat as low vaccination rates put children in Ireland at risk

Polio, preventable but highly contagious, has spread in Gaza, while vaccination rates in Ireland fall well short of the WHO recommendation

Abdul Rahman Abu al-Jidyen, 11 months, is suffering from polio, after fleeing with his family to Deir Al Balah, Gaza. Picture: Hassan Jedi/Anadolu/Getty

Six sewage samples in Gaza tested positive for poliovirus in late June, prompting World Health Organization director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to warn that it was “just a matter of time” before the disease reached thousands of Palestinian children.

As predicted, cases have started to emerge and, mercifully, internationally-backed polio pauses have commenced to allow the distribution of critically-needed vaccines.