WHO Warns of High Polio Risk in Gaza Amid Dire Health and Sanitation Crisis
Due to the terrible health and sanitation conditions made worse by the ongoing conflict, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued an urgent warning about the high risk of the polio virus spreading throughout the Gaza Strip and possibly beyond. The WHO announced on July 24, 2025, that circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) had been found in Gaza’s wastewater, indicating that the virus was actively spreading throughout the population. This concerning development, along with the August 2024 confirmation of the first polio case in Gaza in 25 years in a 10-month-old child, highlights the serious public health emergency that threatens more than 640,000 children under the age of ten. The international community is under increasing pressure to secure a ceasefire and provide life-saving vaccines in order to prevent a full-scale epidemic in Gaza, which is struggling with destroyed infrastructure and limited aid.
The breakdown of Gaza’s health and sanitation systems is directly responsible for the polio outbreak in the area, which had been polio-free for decades. Only 16 of 36 hospitals and 48 of 107 primary healthcare facilities in Gaza are partially operational since the conflict escalated on October 7, 2023. By the end of 2023, routine immunization rates had fallen to 89% from 99% prior to the war, putting thousands of children—especially those under five—at risk of contracting diseases like polio that can be prevented by vaccination. In addition to widespread malnutrition and overcrowding, 70% of sewage pumps and all wastewater treatment plants have been destroyed, creating an ideal environment for the spread of disease. In the overcrowded displacement camps housing 2.3 million people, sewage flows freely.
In order to vaccinate 640,000 children under the age of ten in two rounds beginning in August 2024, the WHO, UNICEF, and UNRWA have initiated an emergency response and are delivering over 1.23 million doses of the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2). Despite logistical challenges, the first round achieved over 90% coverage, vaccinating 560,000 children. However, efforts have been hampered by ongoing hostilities, damaged roads, and limited humanitarian access; as a result, the third phase in northern Gaza has been postponed due to increased violence. Since families and medical personnel cannot reach vaccination sites due to ongoing displacement and insecurity, the WHO and its partners stress that a seven-day humanitarian pause is essential to guaranteeing safe vaccine delivery. In the absence of a ceasefire, there is still a significant chance that the outbreak will spread to nearby nations.
The International Rescue Committee and other aid groups caution that polio is only one aspect of Gaza’s public health crisis, which also includes a rise in hepatitis A, diarrhea, and skin conditions brought on by tainted water and inadequate sanitation. With 50,000 newborns in Gaza likely unvaccinated since the start of the conflict, the confirmed polio case in a 10-month-old unvaccinated child in Deir al-Balah, reported on August 16, 2024, underscores the vulnerability of Gaza’s youngest. The virus, which spreads through fecal-oral routes, flourishes in Gaza’s current environment, where health risks are made worse by sewage rivers and garbage piles. Recognizing the cross-border threat, Israel’s military has started immunizing its troops in Gaza, and regional cooperation is encouraged to stop the spread. This crisis necessitates immediate action from parents and international advocates. To stop the spread of polio and deal with Gaza’s larger health crisis, the WHO demands unfettered humanitarian access to supplies like vaccines, cold chain equipment, and clean water. The stakes are clear as the international community mobilizes for a ceasefire: if immediate action is not taken, Gaza faces polio as well as a host of other avoidable diseases that could endanger an already suffering populace.
Keep abreast of the polio vaccination campaigns in Gaza and the efforts to secure a humanitarian ceasefire to safeguard children who are at risk
