EU foreign policy chief warns of swift spread of polio in Gaza

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Tuesday warned of the rapid spread of poliovirus in the Gaza Strip, stressing the need for a cease-fire to allow children to be vaccinated against the disease, which causes certain limbs to be immobile for the rest of their lives.

“The quick spread of polio threatens all children in Gaza, already weakened by displacement, deprivation & malnourishment,” he stated on X.

Urging an immediate three-day cease-fire, independent of wider negotiations, to enable WHO and UNICEF to conduct vaccinations, Borrell said, “Our humanity demands it.”

On Aug. 16, Gaza’s Health Ministry announced the first confirmed case of polio in the Gaza Strip in 25 years, in the city of Deir al-Balah. The case involved a 10-month-old baby who had not received any doses of the polio vaccine.

The disease primarily affects children under the age of five, with one in 200 infections leading to irreversible paralysis. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between 5% and 10% of those paralyzed die due to the failure of their respiratory muscles to function.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last Oct. 7, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

The onslaught has resulted in over 40,400 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,600 injuries, according to local health authorities.

An ongoing blockade of Gaza has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine, leaving much of the region in ruins.

Israel faces accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered a halt to military operations in Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.