Gaza baby paralysed after contracting polio, UN says

The 10-month-old is the first case detected since Palestine was declared free of the disease 25 years ago

A doctor examines a Palestinian girl at Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al Balah amid fears over the spread of polio in Gaza. Reuters

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A 10-month-old baby in Gaza has become paralysed after contracting polio, the UN said, in the first case of the disease in 25 years across occupied Palestine.

Sewage samples containing poliovirus were detected in the enclave last month and parents of two other children are awaiting the results of tests for suspected infection.

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), provided an update on the baby's case on Friday and called for a humanitarian pause in the Gaza war to allow 640,000 children in Gaza to be vaccinated for polio, which can cause lifelong health problems.

"Polio will not make the distinction between Palestinian and Israeli children," he said in a post on X.

The vaccination campaign in Gaza is planned to take place over two rounds and is set to begin next week.

"Delaying a humanitarian pause will increase the risk of spread among children," Mr Lazzarini said. "To have an impact, the vaccines must end up in the mouths of every child under the age of 10."

The plan to bring in at least 1.2 million vaccines into Gaza faces logistical challenges, such as the need for a "cold chain" to keep the doses at the correct temperature until they are administered.

Gaza currently does not have a single fully functioning hospital, with the healthcare system obliterated by Israeli bombardment and raids since the war began on October 7.

The inoculation campaign will therefore require setting up centres for people to visit and mobile units to go tent-to-tent in Gaza, where 90 per cent of people have been displaced.

The territory's sewerage system and rubbish collection are no longer functioning, leading to the overflow of waste water and piles of rubbish that raise the risk of infection spreading in overcrowded displacement camps.

Difficulty bringing in medical equipment and fuel because of Israeli controls is another obstacle to achieving the 95 per cent vaccination rate that the UN and WHO are aiming for to ensure no more children are infected.