Following the first recorded case of polio in Gaza, MedGlobal has joined the call for a ceasefire or a humanitarian pause to enable two critical rounds of polio vaccinations for children, Al Jazeera reports.

MedGlobal is a US-based humanitarian organisation that provides emergency response and health programmes around the world.

Dr Zaher Sahloul, MedGlobal’s president and the letter’s principal signatory, said that the detection of polio in the sewage system in Gaza is another indication of the collapse of the healthcare system and lack of sanitation.

“The frequent displacement of the majority of the population adds to the catastrophic humanitarian situation,” he said in a statement, adding that completing a successful polio vaccination campaign under these conditions is challenging.

“The safe transport of vaccines in cold temperatures and the availability of fuel and communication networks are all essential for the success of the campaign to vaccinate nearly 650,000 children under 10 years of age.

A ceasefire, or at the very least a humanitarian pause, is urgently needed to give this urgent polio vaccination campaign a fighting chance,“ Sahloul said.