Israel’s Health Ministry announced on Wednesday morning that a 17-year-old resident of Jerusalem who was not vaccinated against polio has been diagnosed with the serious virus. The diagnosis was confirmed in the Health Ministry’s laboratory. The statement said that the “Health Ministry’s Jerusalem district is continuing to carry out an epidemiological investigation to identify contacts and refer them for vaccination against polio if they are unvaccinated.” “The main way to protect children from paralysis is through the inactivated polio vaccine,” the ministry stressed. “Additionally, to prevent the continued transmission of the virus, it is important to maintain hand hygiene.” “Polio is a well-known virus that causes childhood paralysis which has been eradicated in many countries around the world thanks to safe and effective vaccines that have been available for decades. No child in the State of Israel in 2024 should suffer from childhood paralysis. A vaccinated child is a protected child.” In March 2022, several cases of polio were identified in unvaccinated Israelis, and the Health Ministry launched a massive campaign to vaccinate children against the disease, including Rabbanim who signed letters calling on the public to get vaccinated. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)