World Health Organization (WHO) – oPt Emergency Situation Update – Issue 41 – (7 Oct 2023 – 20 August 2024)

20 August 2024

Overview:

• Of the 16 partially functional hospitals, 12 are partially accessible due to insecurity or physical barriers, such as damage to both patient and ambulance entrances, and surrounding roads.
• Thirteen health service points, including the Indonesian hospital, 4 PHCs, and 8 medical points, are within the evacuation areas announced on 16 and 17 August, affecting areas in North Gaza, Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah.
• Al-Aqsa Hospital is approx. 850m within the evacuation area, one medical point is 30m away, and 10 other medical points are within 600m or less.

First confirmed case of polio in the Gaza Strip

• A 10-month-old unvaccinated child from Deir al-Balah, Gaza, has been confirmed to have polio — the first case in Gaza in 25 years.
• WHO and partners urgently worked to collect and transfer stool samples from the child for testing at a WHO-accredited laboratory in the region. Genomic sequencing confirmed the virus is linked to the variant poliovirus type 2 detected in environmental samples collected in June from Gaza’s wastewater.
• The child, who developed paralysis in the lower left leg, is currently in a stable condition.
• Given the high risk of poliovirus spread in Gaza and the region, the Palestinian Ministry of Health, WHO and UNICEF are working to implement two rounds of polio vaccination in the coming weeks to halt transmission.