As polio re-emerges in Gaza, a mother fears for her child's health

Middle East Monitor
Aug 20, 2024

As polio re-emerges in Gaza, a mother fears for her child's health


In Gaza, a mother worries that her month-old son, Mohammed, could be infected with polio after the Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the first case in the enclave on Friday, ending a 25 year period in which the Strip was polio-free, Reuters reports.

Just three days after his birth, Ghada Al-Ghandour’s son, Mohammed, started developing skin rashes.

“He had skin rashes as if he was burnt,” she said.

A doctor told her there were no creams to treat her child.

She later brought him to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza to seek a diagnosis and treatment.

The rash fuelled his mother’s fears that other symptoms and diseases could follow due to a lack of hygiene and medical supplies in Gaza after more than 10 months of conflict.