Acute Febrile Illness: All You Need To Know About Causes, Symptoms And Treatment Of AFI

Poliomyelitis In Argentina

THE July issue of the Boletin de la Oficina Sanitaria Panamericana contains an instructive article by Dr. G. Bayley Bustamante, assistant professor of public health, Buenos Aires, dealing with the last outbreak of poliomyelitis in the Argentine (October 1942–May 1943 with 1,948 cases). This was probably the largest outbreak, although epidemics were reported in 1909, 1911, 1916–17, 1919–20, 1924–25, 1932–33, 1934–35 and 1936, mostly in the Buenos Aires and Rosario Area, with smaller outbreaks and sporadic cases in the rest of the country; but paralytic cases figure in the statistics in 1941. There were 355 cases (189 in the Province of Santa Fé), which was an increase on the usual yearly figures. The 1942 epidemic in the southern suburb of Buenos Aires then extended into the city and to the rest of the province, with the peak in November and December; it increased along the coast after January and moved northward. The incidence was highest in the Buenosires sector. Half the cases were in children aged 1–3 and another 10 per cent in those less than 1 year. The death-rate ranged from 3·5 to 23–25 per cent, usually being 10 per cent. Of the eight large Argentine epidemics, four began in February and one each in June, September, October and November. The 1942–43 epidemic had its peak in October–November (spring); the year had been characterized by a hard but short winter, an early warm spring and a very hot and dry summer.

Ceasefire Improves Reach Of Polio Vaccinations In Gaza: WHO

ISTANBUL

Expanded humanitarian access during the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza has significantly improved the quality and reach of polio vaccinations in the enclave, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday.

"The ceasefire enabled health workers to reach more children who had missed vaccinations due to displacement during the phased approach, living in areas that previously required special coordination for access, or being unreachable during the October 2024 round due to insecurity in North Gaza," the WHO said in a statement.

A five-day mass vaccination campaign, conducted in collaboration with the Palestinian Health Ministry and UN agencies, immunized nearly 603,000 children under the age of 10 with the novel oral polio vaccine, the statement added.

Despite adverse weather conditions, strong community engagement helped maintain high immunization rates, with families bringing their children to vaccination points, it added.

"With improved access, we vaccinated 40,000 more children compared to previous rounds," the WHO stated, noting that areas such as Jabalia, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun in North Gaza were reached for the first time since the outbreak was detected in 2024.

In August 2024, the Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the first polio case in the territory in a partially paralyzed 10-month-old boy, marking the first confirmed case of the highly infectious disease since it was eradicated 25 years earlier.

The discovery prompted the first vaccination campaign amid the Israeli war on Gaza, which was carried out in two phases starting in September.

For the latest round, the campaign mobilized 1,660 teams, including 1,242 mobile units, supported by social mobilizers to raise awareness, the statement added.

According to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the first phase, concluded in September, immunized over 560,000 Palestinian children. The second phase, concluding in November, vaccinated 556,774 children younger than 10.

The UN says children in Gaza require two doses of the oral polio vaccine for adequate protection.

The outbreak of polio is among the many health crises resulting from Israel's military assault on Gaza, which lasted for over 15 months before a ceasefire took effect on Jan. 19.

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Mass Polio Vaccination Campaign To Continue In Gaza After Virus Detected In Wastewater Samples

A mass polio vaccination campaign is set to continue in Gaza after the virus was recently detected in wastewater samples.

The campaign aims to vaccinate more than 591,000 children in Gaza under 10 years old between Saturday and Feb. 26, the World Health Organization announced.

Efforts will be led by the Palestinian Ministry of Health and will be supported by the WHO, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and other partners, the global health agency said Wednesday.

Polio vaccinations wrap up in Gaza as officials try to inoculate 90% of children under age 10

Children are receiving two drops of novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), which has been used for outbreak response under the WHO's Emergency Use Listing Procedure (EUL) approval since March 2021. A second dose is typically given four weeks after the first.

The WHO coordinated two previous mass vaccination rounds in September and October 2024, saying it reached 95% of its target population in Gaza. The current campaign will aim to reach all children under age 10, including those previously missed to help close any immunity gaps, the WHO said.

A nurse administers polio vaccine drops to a Palestinian child at Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip, Aug. 31 2024.

Haitham Imad/EPA/Shutterstock

At least 7,000 children were missed during the second vaccination round in October due to hostilities in the Israel-Hamas war and areas where humanitarian pauses for vaccination were not guaranteed, the WHO said.

"As poliovirus is found to remain in the environment, additional vaccination efforts are needed to reach every child and strengthen population immunity," the WHO said in a press release. "The presence of the virus still poses a risk to children with low or no immunity, in Gaza and throughout the region."

The WHO and its partners also plan to carry out another mass polio vaccination in April of this year, the agency said.

In mid-August 2024, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported the first case of polio in 25 years in a 10-month-old child who had not been vaccinated and became paralyzed, according to the WHO. Doctors suspected polio after symptoms resembled the virus, which was confirmed in tests conducted in Amman, the capital of Jordan, the agency said.

Public health experts previously told ABC News they believe the true number of polio cases may have been higher, with many cases having gone undetected.

Although no additional cases have been reported, wastewater samples collected in Deir al Balah in central Gaza and Khan Younis in southern Gaza in December 2024 and January, respectively, confirm polio transmission, according to the WHO.

MORE: What to know about the polio vaccine and why most people aren't at risk of infection

The polio strain detected in the recent wastewater samples is genetically linked to the sample first detected in Gaza in July 2024.

The WHO estimates that in 2022, polio vaccination coverage, conducted through routine immunization, was at 99%.

However, since the outbreak of the war following Hamas' terror attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, this percentage has fallen. According to the latest WHO-UNICEF routine immunization report, the number is estimated to be at 89% in 2023 due to the number of newborns not vaccinated.

Polio largely affects children under age 5 and can lead to paralysis or death. There are about 341,000 children under the age of five in Gaza, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.

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