Israel’s Health Ministry Launches Polio Vaccine Drive

Israel’s Health Ministry on Tuesday launched a polio vaccination campaign, following the detection of the first case of the disease in more than 30 years. Polio, short for poliomyelitis, is a viral disease of the brain and spinal cord that can cause irreversible paralysis. It affects mainly children under the age of 5. Israel began vaccinating against it in 1957. In March, the Health Ministry said it had detected polio infection in a 4-year-old child in Jerusalem.  Since then, at least six nonsymptomatic cases were detected in the Jerusalem area. All were unvaccinated. The virus was also found in sewage from three other cities. “I view this as very acute. It may be a small case-load right now, but that’s the tip of the iceberg,” said Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash on Tel Aviv radio station 103 FM. Ash added that, unlike previous polio vaccination drives, “this time it’s far more difficult” due to the public’s fatigue over vaccination against COVID-19.