Mass polio vaccination drive for children continues in Gaza

Dr mads Gilbert is a professor of emergency medicine at the University of tromo in Norway and he's been working in Gaza and training doctors in Gaza for the past 20 years we've spoken before good to have you on again um mads so let's start talking about polio because I mean this is a it's a problem that's been eradicated in large parts of the world so it's not something you hear talked about very often but this is severely deadly and and debilitating disease isn't it I how would you describe the threat it carries well PO is a very dangerous disease you can die from it and you can have paralysis lifelong muscular paralysis so it's a very dangerous disease and very contentious uh but it has been eradicated in Gaza for the last 25 years and the coverage of vaccine in Gaza before uh October 7 was 99% uh vaccine coverage for children in Gaza so all of this what we see now it's quite an absurd theater because the the uh reappearance of polio in Gaza is solely a responsibility of the Israeli occupation forces because of the lack of water the lack of food the lack of hygiene products like soap and shampoo and the destruction of the Health Care system so this is a manmade polio epidemic and it's six weeks since the first test was confirmed to be polio and now they're starting with the oral vaccine the Israel army themselves started immediately that this was discovered uh to vaccine their soldiers so it's quite an absurdity now we are going to vaccinate children and then start bombing and killing them again why not just stop the bombing open the water open the food and lift the siege of Gaza which would be really too care for the kids and for the people of Gaza whose decision do you think that was to have this this pause to allow the vaccinations is that because Israel finally made that decision or was because they were pressured into it I think to be honest that Israel knows through their doctors and their epidemiologist that when there is polio in Gaza it will leak through the seich system out into the Mediterranean Waters and the currents drift northwards and you will have polio in the shores of Gaza of of of Israel I'm sorry so this is not you know pul viers don't obey any borders between countries so this is a public health threat to Israel and they know it they've had it before and they did the same they they made some concessions uh gave some million dollars to improve the water system in Gaza so I think the reason for this Lull in the bombing is purely entrical that they don't want to have rampant polio in Gaza because it will risk contaminating the population of Israel so the only logical thing to do is to provide the basic presum presumptions for public health which is Food Water Health Care System security and let me remind your viewers that currently the price of a roll of toilet paper in Gaza is between eight and N9 us and the price of a bottle of shampoo is $45 so how can the parents keep their kids clean how can you wash your hands after toilet if you don't have water and soap so this vaccination is of course it it is better than nothing but it is not solving the fundamental problem which is The Siege and the ongoing bombing and the destruction of the basic living conditions for people in GSA and don't forget half of the population are children mads I just want to pick up on what you're talking about the you know the medical situation there and just how um difficult it is I just want to bring up for our viewers some pictures now this is of a gazen doctor we've okay we we've blurred this so that it's not going to be offensive uh it's a Garen doctor amputating the leg of his niece he did this without an anesthetic he was only less than 2 km away from a hospital but because of Israel's bombar and he couldn't get his niece to the hospital so he did the himself without an anesthetic according to UNICEF the UN organization there have been thousands of children who've had limbs amputated without anesthetic clearly this was a major medical disaster that was unfolding and and this particular incident was was many months ago so I suppose I mean maybe you've partly answered this but if they can if Israel can say we're going to have a pause for polio vaccination why didn't they have a pause to bring in medical supplies like anesthetics more medicines when clearly people were suffering in in very bad conditions why why didn't they stop the massive killing the massacre of the Palestinian civilians why didn't they stop the genocide so the answer lies in the cynicism of the occupation strategy because it is a genocide it is a war crime three war crimes going on at the same time it is ethnic cleansing it is collective punishment and it's the genocide so your question is very pertinent and I think the answer lies in the threat that a polio a rampant a widespread polio epidemic in Gaza would actually uh be threat to the israelian civilian Society because polio is extremely contagious and it runs in water so the main problem with uh containing the polio uh spread in Gaza is to repair the sewage system is to get water soap and toilet facilities for the people the vaccination is sort of an an end point and and don't forget 99% of the kids in Gaza were fully vaccinated before the 7th of October the drop in vaccination is a direct result of the siege and the destruction of the Health Care system so it's all man-made and all is in the hands and the responsibility of netan and Mr blinkin mads really appreciate you coming on giving us your expert analysis Dr mads Gilbert professor of emergency medicine my gu