The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has called for a three-day humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to allow for the vaccination of the population against the re-emerging poliovirus. The type 2 poliovirus (cVDPV2) was first detected in sewage samples in Gaza in July, with the first confirmed case of polio in 25 years being detected in an unvaccinated 10-month-old baby in August. The re-emergence of the disease in Gaza is attributed to the impacts of war, which have disrupted vaccination programs and damaged water and sanitation systems. The WHO has called for all parties to cease hostilities to allow vaccination campaigns to take place.
Over 1.2 million doses of the polio vaccine have been brought to Gaza, with plans to vaccinate over 640,000 children. However, displacement orders by Israeli authorities are severely disrupting humanitarian operations, impacting the ability to access resources for those affected by the conflict. Human Rights Watch warns that mass displacement orders and attacks on healthcare infrastructure and water supplies are exacerbating the potential catastrophe of the polio outbreak in Gaza. Borrell, along with the EU, has been calling for a humanitarian pause in Gaza since March but faces challenges due to deep rifts among member states’ stances on the conflict.
The UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, is also expressing concerns about the impact of displacement orders on humanitarian operations in Gaza. People are left with nowhere to go and limited access to resources as a result. The agency warns that the mass displacement orders, along with attacks on healthcare infrastructure and water supplies, are contributing to the rapid spread of polio, which poses a threat to all children in Gaza who are already suffering from displacement, deprivation, and malnourishment. The WHO has urged for all parties to cease hostilities to allow for vaccination campaigns to proceed.
Borrell will convene the EU’s foreign ministers in Brussels for an informal meeting on Thursday, where the bloc’s response to the situation in Gaza will be a key agenda item. The EU’s diplomatic efforts have been hindered by divisions among member states regarding the conflict, despite calls for a humanitarian pause in Gaza since earlier in the year. Borrell has emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire to allow for the vaccination of the population against polio, which has re-emerged in Gaza after more than two decades of eradication due to the devastating impacts of war.
The poliovirus causes an illness known as polio, which can lead to irreversible paralysis in severe cases. The re-emergence of the disease in Gaza has alarmed humanitarian experts, who attribute it to the disruptions in vaccination programs and damaged water and sanitation systems caused by the ongoing conflict. The WHO and UNICEF are working to vaccinate children in Gaza, but face challenges due to displacement orders and attacks on infrastructure, which are undermining humanitarian operations. Borrell and other international actors are calling for an immediate ceasefire to address the polio outbreak and ensure the well-being of the population affected by the conflict in Gaza.
