It has been 10 months since the war between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. Meanwhile, another scary news has come from the almost destroyed Gaza. Polio cases are being seen there. It is believed that it may increase in the war-affected area. The World Health Organization is running a campaign, in which about 6.5 lakh children of the Gaza Strip will be given vaccine within three days. Even Israel has agreed to a temporary ceasefire for this. From this, we can guess how dangerous the polio virus is.
But Gaza had become polio-free in the early nineties. Why are these cases appearing there now? Before understanding this, let us first know what polio is.
This disease is caused by the polio virus, which spreads from an infected person to a healthy person through dirty water, food or urine and feces. In most people, the infection resolves with mild symptoms. One in two hundred cases is more serious, when the virus affects the brain and nervous system. This usually causes permanent paralysis of the legs or one leg. In severe cases, the patient may die within a few hours of paralysis.
Why did the return to Gaza happen?
This area has been battling war for almost a year. There is a dense population in a very small area. This has increased the problem of cleanliness a lot. Most of the hospitals have either been destroyed or have very few facilities left. In such a situation, the number of families taking polio vaccine also started decreasing. According to the latest data of WHO, in the year 2022, 99% of the families came for two doses of polio, whereas this time it has remained less than 90 percent.
What is the plan of WHO
With the hygiene system almost finished, the fear of polio virus spreading through dirt has also increased. In such a situation, WHO will give vaccine to about 6.5 lakh children whose age is 10 years or less in the next few days. During this time, the fight between Israel and Hamas will stop from 6 am to 3 pm. The second dose will also be given at the end of September.
These two countries are not polio-free yet
All countries in the world are officially polio-free, except Pakistan and Afghanistan. Both countries have a very strange reason for opposing the polio vaccine. Their religious leaders say that the polio vaccine is a conspiracy to make their people impotent so that the Muslim population in the world decreases.
This protest is believed to have started in the year 2000. Global polio vaccination had started about a year earlier. At that time, many fundamentalist leaders spread misleading information through radio. They said that polio vaccination is a conspiracy of the West so that they can sterilize Muslims. After this, the fear kept increasing. So much so that the Pakistan government had to stop the polio vaccine drive many times.
Attacks on health workers are common
Often news comes from Pakistan that common people are attacking the medical staff giving polio vaccine there. More than 100 people associated with the campaign have been killed in Pakistan. This includes health workers as well as the police protecting them. Incidents of such attacks increased after it was revealed that the American CIA had run a fake hepatitis vaccine drive in the area before killing Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan in 2011. After this, the confusion increased that there could be an operation behind the campaign.
Punishment and fine for not giving vaccine
To stop attacks on health workers and make the country polio-free, a law was passed in Sindh, Pakistan a year ago. Under this, parents who do not give polio medicine to their children can face a month’s jail and a fine of 50,000 Pakistani rupees. The Taliban, which is ruling Afghanistan, also insisted on a vaccine drive. There too, rules keep coming from time to time but they weaken in front of people’s opposition.
WHO’s target is to make the world polio-free by the year 2026. However, this has not been possible in countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan due to misconceptions. Also, this problem is seen in countries battling war, as has happened in Gaza.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)