Polio Virus Found In Sewage Sample From Israel

“The polio virus has been found in a sewage sample from Israel for the first time since 2002, the [WHO] announced on Monday,” the New York Times reports, noting no new cases have been identified in Israel or in Gaza or the West Bank. “The sample was from Rahat, a city in the Negev Desert near the Egyptian border that has 53,000 residents, primarily Bedouins,” the newspaper writes, adding, “There has not been a case of polio in Israel since 1988. The virus was last found in sewage samples in 1991 and 2002.” The New York Times continues, “Because most Israelis and Palestinians are routinely immunized against polio, it is unlikely the virus will spread further, said Dr. Bruce Aylward, director of the WHO’s polio campaign” (McNeil, 6/3).

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