Children in Israel Confirmed with Polio

According to recent media reports, four children in Israel have been diagnosed with polio. 

The JPost reported the Health Ministry announced in early March 2023 that an unvaccinated child from the Safed region in Galilee was found positive for polio at the Ziv Medical Center.

And on March 2, 2023, the Times of Israel reported an Israel Health Ministry statement confirming three additional children who had been in contact with the infected child and tested positive for poliovirus.

The Ministry did not reveal the vaccination status of these three children.

In June 2022, the Ministry reported that vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (VDPV2) was detected in the sewage in the Jerusalem area. This strain has spread to many places in Israel, from Ramat HaGolan, in the north, to Beer Sheva in the south.  

Unfortunately, about 150,000 children in Israel have not been vaccinated with the inactivated vaccine, and therefore they are not protected from pediatric paralysis should they be infected with the virus.

Polio is a vaccine-preventable viral disease that affects children and can cause paralysis and related fatalities. The live attenuated oral vaccine (bOPV) currently administered in Israel does not cover the VDPV2 strain.

This is a breaking news story, and relevant updates will be published at PrecisionVaccinations.com/Polio.