The polio virus is now being identified in samples of wastewater from areas outside Jerusalem, the Health Ministry reported Thursday, saying that samples taken in Tiberias and Modi'in Illit had also shown evidence of the virus.
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Earlier this week, samples of wastewater in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh showed that the polio virus was present. Earlier this month, a four-year-old girl from Jerusalem who had not been vaccinated against polio contracted the virus and became paralyzed.
According to the Health Ministry, another unvaccinated child from the Jerusalem area tested positive for the virus and was showing symptoms, and another unvaccinated child had tested positive but was asymptomatic. The ministry reported that cultures taken from five more unvaccinated children who were still asymptomatic had indicated the possible presence of the virus.
The ministry is carrying out additional tests to confirm the original findings. A week ago, the ministry launched a polio vaccination campaign in Jerusalem and by Thursday evening had vaccinated 11,785 infants and children.
The polio virus is contagious and enters the body through the mouth and can be found in the excrement of a carrier. In most cases, symptoms are mild and include a sore throat, a fever, and weakness, but one out of 1,000 unvaccinated people who contract the virus will develop more serious symptoms, including paralysis.
The Health Ministry stressed that the most important tool in preventing the spread of polio is to ensure that children receive their routine vaccinations on time.
"The Health Ministry is calling on all parents to ensure that their children have the Health Ministry's recommendations and to vaccinate children who still have not been. The polio vaccine is the safest, most effective way to prevent the spread of the virus and protect people from it," the ministry said.
Two versions of the polio vaccine are available in Israel – a live attenuated (LAV) version, which is taken orally, and an inactivated polio vaccine, which is injected into muscle tissue.
Professor Hagai Levine, chairman of the Association of Public Health Physicians, said, "The moment there is a single [polio] case in Israel, we need to respond as if there is an outbreak, and at the very least launch an active vaccination campaign nationwide."
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