The poliovirus that paralyzed a child in Gaza, the first case in the region in 25 years, has traveled a long path.
It most likely arose in Nigeria and made its way to Chad, where it was first detected in 2019, according to genetic analysis.
This journey was the consequence of a fateful decision by global health organizations to pare down the oral polio vaccine in 2016.
Instead, the change has led to outbreaks of polio in dozens of countries and has paralyzed more than 3,300 children.
A formal evaluation, commissioned by the global polio eradication program and led by two independent experts, was unflinching in its assessment: “The switch was an unqualified failure.”
Persons:
pare, ”
Locations:
Gaza, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan, Egypt, Luxor, North Sinai