JERUSALEM: Israel has started vaccinating its troops in Gaza against polio and supplying vaccines for the Palestinian population after health agencies said the virus has been found in the territory, the military said on Sunday.

Army authorities have begun “a broad vaccination operation for all ground troops, both regular and reserves,” said a military statement.

The army did not give a figure for the number of soldiers involved but thousands of regular and reservist troops are repor­ted to be fighting in Gaza.

The statement said the order was given after the army carried out sample tests in Gaza where most of the population is displaced and health and sanitary infrastructure has been decimated by the attacks .

UN agencies said this week that the Global Polio Laboratory Network found type-2 poliovirus in six environmental samples collected on June 23. Israel’s health ministry said it had made similar findings. No human cases have been reported.

The Israeli army said it was also working with other organisations to take vaccines for the Gaza population into the territory. It said that 300,000 vaccines have so far been supplied.

The highly contagious virus is caught by drinking contaminated water or through oral contact.

The military said it had decided with the health ministry “that troops operating in the area should undergo vaccination against the virus to maintain the health of both the soldiers and Israeli citizens.”

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2024