Relief workers are preparing for a potential outbreak of polio in Gaza, where the first case has been confirmed in 25 years and wastewater has been found with traces of the virus, Al Jazeera reports.

“We are anticipating and preparing for the worst-case scenario of a polio outbreak in the coming weeks or month,” Francis Hughes, CARE International’s Gaza response director, told the AP news agency.

“We are not optimistic because we know that doctors could also be missing the warning signs,” he said.

As we’ve been reporting, UN agencies are urging for a seven-day truce at the end of this month to carry out a mass vaccine drive in the enclave. Without such a truce, the campaign will not be successful, they say.

Editorial

Updated 02 Aug, 2026

Urban flooding

THE warning from the disaster management and weather authorities that a new monsoon spell could trigger urban...
02 Aug, 2026

Fatal workplaces

THE methane explosion near Quetta that killed 34 coal miners is the latest entry in Pakistan’s long register of...
02 Aug, 2026

Dual standards

IT appears that the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party has fallen foul of the Election Commission of Pakistan. A...
Updated 01 Aug, 2026

Maritime alliance

AS the US-Iran war drags on, new battle lines are being drawn. The pro-US Gulf Arab monarchies and Iran have enjoyed...
01 Aug, 2026

Local governance

INTERIOR Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s speech at a business summit on Thursday has stirred a hornet’s nest. His...
01 Aug, 2026

Murders in Balochistan

GOOD news is scarce in Balochistan. Seven labourers were abducted and gunned down in Turbat city recently. Four...