JERUSALEM, Friday, August 23, 2024 (WAFA) — Philippe Lazzarini, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), expressed grave concerns today about the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and its impact on public health.

In a statement on X, Lazzarini stressed that delays in achieving a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza could exacerbate the spread of polio. He cited the World Health Organization's confirmation of a 10-month-old infant in Gaza who has been paralyzed by polio, marking the first such case in the region in over 25 years.

On August 16, the Ministry of Health reported that this was the first confirmed polio case in Gaza since the outbreak of the war. The child, from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, had not received any polio vaccinations.

Lazzarini stressed that merely bringing vaccines to Gaza is insufficient. “To have an impact, the vaccines must end up in the mouths of every child under the age of 10,” said the UN official. He noted that UNRWA's medical teams will distribute vaccines through their clinics and mobile health teams across the Gaza Strip.

M.N