Polio detected in Gaza sewage water, threatening new health disaster

The highly infectious polio virus has been found in sewage samples in Gaza, putting thousands of Palestinians at risk of contracting a disease that can cause paralysis. Vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2) has been identified at six locations in sewage samples collected on June 23 from Khan Younis and Deir al Balah, a World Health Organization spokesperson said in a statement Friday. “It is important to note the virus has been isolated from the environment only at this time; no associated paralytic cases have been detected,” the spokesperson added. As...