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Health Ministry asks IDF to vaccinate soldiers
(Photo: AFP)
Following the discovery of the poliovirus, five senior public health experts called for an immediate ceasefire to address the threat of viral, bacterial and infectious diseases that could spread from Gaza. They wrote: “At a time of many threats, there is an additional threat: polio. Unfortunately, this fact should not come as a surprise. For months, public health officials have been warning that Hamas activity, the destruction of the health system, lack of access to nutrition and water, poor sanitation, population density, population movement and overflowing sewage pose a risk of polio and other diseases spreading in Gaza.”
The experts also said: “The State of Israel knows how to respond to such threats, as it has demonstrated over the decades, including by establishing a vaccination program in Gaza decades ago. The response requires organization and mobilization, but equally important is the determination of other actors to eradicate the poliovirus as part of an international effort.”
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Professor Zohar Mol, deputy health director for the Ministry of Health’s Central Region, sent a letter to the newly appointed chief medical officer, Brigadier General Jivan Abiad Bar, instructing the IDF to “ensure that all soldiers are vaccinated against polio, and encourage those who have been vaccinated to get a booster shot, as there is a particular risk of infection on the battlefield. In addition to protecting our soldiers, vaccinating them will also prevent infection for those who come into contact with them.”
“Vaccination is recommended for all combat troops currently in the Gaza Strip or those planning to enter the Strip. There is no need to vaccinate soldiers who have previously been in the Strip,” the Health Ministry’s instructions read. The Health Ministry noted that hand sanitizers cannot destroy the poliovirus and encouraged soldiers in Gaza to wash their hands thoroughly for at least 15 seconds whenever possible. It also recommended wiping mud and dirt off shoes with a cloth soaked in chlorine.
Public health experts from Ben-Gurion University and Hebrew University warned that immunocompromised children and individuals are at increased risk: “The current situation puts a wide range of people at risk from the poliovirus, including Gaza residents, hostages, humanitarian workers, U.S. soldiers in Gaza, and soldiers guarding detainees from Gaza.”
Infants in Israel and the Gaza Strip who have not yet been fully vaccinated are at high risk. There is no doubt that these infants are “uninvolved.”
“In fact, we are all at risk because viruses, bacteria and other contaminants do not stop at the border. One of the hostages, Kfir Bibas, was unvaccinated when he was kidnapped and is therefore at high risk. Furthermore, all infants in Israel and Gaza who have not yet received all their vaccinations are at high risk – there is no doubt that these infants are ‘unrelated’. Immunocompromised children and adults are also at risk,” public health experts warned.
According to the experts, “This was expected and is not unique to this region. The poliovirus ‘waits’ to spread among unvaccinated people. When conditions such as hygiene, sanitation, housing, nutrition and access to safe water are compromised, the virus finds a way to cause disease. Some infected people suffer from paralysis for the rest of their lives. Similar events have been recorded in conflict zones around the world, including Ukraine, Ethiopia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Experience shows the need to take thorough measures, including vaccination activities, epidemiological surveillance of the population and environmental monitoring with sewage.”
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“This operation must be carried out quickly and safely, and an immediate ceasefire is essential! A ceasefire will allow not only the release of the hostages, which we all want, but also a series of important measures in the public health field, including widespread and rapid vaccination operations in Gaza and the IDF, improved availability of health services and health conditions, access to safe water and regulated health conditions, nutritional security, shelter, housing and the restoration of health services in Gaza.”
The experts also said: “These measures will take a long time and require proper planning and cooperation among all parties. Without it, the current situation will have a negative impact on the health of Israel, especially children and vulnerable people. We must act swiftly and decisively. The virus spreads fast. This is not a political stance, but the right thing to do from a health and humanitarian point of view.”