Poliovirus detected in Palestinian Authority sewage samples
In a follow-up to reports of poliovirus positive sewage samples in Israel, the World Health Organization (WHO) is now reporting that samples collected by the Palestinian Authority, both in West Bank and the Gaza Strip are also testing positive for wild poliovirus-1 (WPV-1).
Palestinian Authority map
Image/CIA
Health authorities of Israel and the Palestinian Authority have taken steps to respond to the threat posed by WPV1 circulation by strengthening surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis and increasing the frequency of environmental sample collection.
A supplementary immunization activity with bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV) is being conducted in Israel since early August, targeting children up to nine years of age to rapidly interrupt WPV1 circulation. As of now, 60 percent of the 1.38 million children targeted in Israel have been vaccinated.
Health authorities of the Palestinian Authority are preparing to conduct two supplementary immunization activities with trivalent OPV in the Gaza Strip and in West Bank.
Health officials say there has been no cases of paralytic polio have been reported by Israel or the Palestinian Authority.
Related story: Horn Of Africa Polio Outbreak Now At 185 Cases, Accounts For 70 Percent Of Global Polio
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