UNICEF: 85% of polio cases in children in war zones

A UNICEF study revealed that 85% of children affected by polio reside in fragile or war-torn countries. The number of cases of children who have contracted the poliovirus in vulnerable settings has increased by more than twofold over the past five years. Concurrently, the rate of routine childhood vaccinations has declined from 75 to 70% over the past year. This is a significant shortfall from the 95% threshold required to maintain community immunity, as reported by the aid organisation. In 2023, there were 541 recorded cases of polio among children worldwide. Last July, traces of the poliovirus were detected in the Gaza Strip in the sewers of Deir al Balah and Khan Younis. This resulted in a Palestinian child, aged ten months, becoming paralysed due to type two polio, which marked the first case in Gaza in the last 25 years. Consequently, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), called for an emergency vaccination campaign. Two vaccine doses are needed for 90% of children to stop the virus from spreading. 119,000 children are still waiting to be vaccinated.