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Israel's Ministry of Health on Sunday said that a new case of polio has been detected in a 4-year-old child in Jerusalem.
This is the first case of polio detected in Israel since 1989, according to the Jerusalem Post. The child was not vaccinated as part of the routine vaccinations that children receive in Israel, the ministry said in a statement. The regional health administration in Jerusalem has started an epidemiological investigation and is in constant contact with the child and his family members for specific instructions. The health administration also said that the source of the disease, in this case, is a strain of poliovirus that has changed and possibly can infect those who are not vaccinated. Rudolf Schwenk, the head of the UN children's agency United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Malawi showed concern over the outbreak of the virus reported in Malawi and said, "The resurgence of the wild poliovirus in Malawi ... is cause for serious concern." "Vaccination is the only way to protect the children of Malawi from this crippling disease which is highly infectious," he added. Further recommendations will be decided upon the findings, the ministry noted. (ANI)
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