Israeli Child Diagnosed With Polio, First Case Since 1988

A 4yrs old unvaccinated child has contracted the highly transmissible virus; Polio making it the first polio case in Israel since 1988, the Israeli Health Ministry said on Sunday.

The girl, who was unnamed by the Jerusalem District Health Bureau was not vaccinated against the virus, which has largely been defeated around the world due to widely available jabs.

Polio infection can be catastrophic, causing an infected person to suffer paralysis. Vaccines are widely available, though the virus remains a problem in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The young girl’s case was reported to local health authorities after she felt symptoms of paralysis, the Wall Street Journal reports.

A spokesman said that the case was likely vaccine-derived polio, which is a mutation of the strain used for the oral polio vaccine distributed across the world.

The young girl was not yet vaccinated. In Israel, children are recommended to get the vaccine as soon as they can, though the window of recommendation does not end until seven years old.

It has not been reported whether the girl’s parents had plans to get her vaccinated in the future.

Officials launched an epidemiological investigation and will be reaching out to close contacts of the child.