You mention that it's not surprising that polio has emerged in Gaza. But I was surprised because I had thought that polio was generally rare, worldwide, except for a few regions. And also because few people are being allowed in or out of gaza.
So, how could the virus have entered Gaza? An Israeli soldier? An aid worker / truck driver? Who else is entering Gaza to introduce it?
You mention that it's not surprising that polio has emerged in Gaza. But I was surprised because I had thought that polio was generally rare, worldwide, except for a few regions. And also because few people are being allowed in or out of gaza.
So, how could the virus have entered Gaza? An Israeli soldier? An aid worker / truck driver? Who else is entering Gaza to introduce it?
This is a fantastic question. The poliovirus detected in Gaza is believed to be vaccine-derived. This means someone was vaccinated with the polio oral live vaccine, and shed it at low levels. It got into the sewage and started spreading to unvaccinated children.
Obviously, sewage = very bad, but specific to the polio virus, does this imply a rethink to the idea that it was a positive to have the attenuated live virus spread indirectly to unvaccinated individuals?
You mention that it's not surprising that polio has emerged in Gaza. But I was surprised because I had thought that polio was generally rare, worldwide, except for a few regions. And also because few people are being allowed in or out of gaza.
So, how could the virus have entered Gaza? An Israeli soldier? An aid worker / truck driver? Who else is entering Gaza to introduce it?
This is a fantastic question. The poliovirus detected in Gaza is believed to be vaccine-derived. This means someone was vaccinated with the polio oral live vaccine, and shed it at low levels. It got into the sewage and started spreading to unvaccinated children.
Obviously, sewage = very bad, but specific to the polio virus, does this imply a rethink to the idea that it was a positive to have the attenuated live virus spread indirectly to unvaccinated individuals?