(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency)

Amman, July 29 (Petra) -- The Eastern Mediterranean Public Health Network (EMPHNET) issued a statement highlighting the urgent public health threat posed by the detection of polio in the Gaza Strip.
The statement called for immediate measures as crucial to prevent the spread of polio both inside and outside Gaza in light of the current vulnerabilities due to the lack of herd immunity, which requires at least 95% vaccination coverage, and the inability of the non-functioning health system to control an impending spread of polio.
Mohannad Al Nsour, EMPHNET's Executive Director, stressed that Gaza's new public health threat also has trans-boundary implications that could affect neighboring areas and countries, especially those with low immunization coverage.
"For over 25 years, the Gaza Strip has been polio-free and up until 2022, immunization coverage in the Palestinian territories (including Gaza) was 99% despite tough socioeconomic conditions and intermittent bouts of violence and conflict. The unrelenting war that began on October 7, 2023, has reversed these immunization gains. In less than a year of continuous violence, immunization coverage in Gaza has plummeted to 89%, despite vaccination campaigns attempting to reach as many missed or unimmunized children as possible during the conflict," Al Nsour said.
He added that the Gaza Strip has become a breeding ground for several vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio.
"It was imminent that polio would re-emerge in a context where routine immunization has been disrupted, where people have been living in overcrowded settings under unsanitary and unhygienic conditions, and where the risk of transmission was heightened with multiple forced displacements," he said.
Nada Ahmed, an immunization specialist from EMPHNET, emphasized the need for an immediate, coordinated, and comprehensive response orchestrated by local health authorities and international health organizations.
"This response must be informed by past experiences in countries with similar contexts in the region and should rely on strengthened acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance, which involves monitoring sudden cases of muscle weakness or paralysis to identify potential polio infections," she said.
She also highlighted the necessity of implementing innovative and cost-effective approaches, considering dwindling resources, health service provider shortages, and accessibility issues.
Ahmed underscored the paramount importance of multi-sectoral collaboration, particularly with sectors involved in water, sanitation, and hygiene, as polio is an oral-fecal virus that can spread through contaminated water.
EMPHNET, established in 2009, is a public health nonprofit organization dedicated to improving health in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) and beyond.
The organization is recognized for advancing applied epidemiology, supporting public health programs, fostering public health research, and enhancing communication and networking for improved public health practices.
EMPHNET collaborates with ministries of health, public health agencies, universities, community organizations, research institutes, the private sector, NGOs, international organizations, and UN agencies.

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