A 10-month-old Palestinian baby suddenly stopped crawling. Polio had struck Gaza
Ten-month-old Abdel-Rahman Abu El-Jedian is the first confirmed case of polio in Gaza and he's now paralyzed in the leg
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Born into the devastating Israel-Hamas war, 10-month-old Abdel-Rahman Abu El-Jedian started crawling early. Then one day, he froze — his left leg appeared to be paralyzed.
The baby boy is the first confirmed case of polio inside Gaza in 25 years, according to the World Health Organization.
Abdel-Rahman was an energetic baby, said the child's mother, Nevine Abu El-Jedian, fighting back tears. “Suddenly, that was reversed. Suddenly, he stopped crawling, stopped moving, stopped standing up, and stopped sitting.”
Health care workers in Gaza have been warning of the potential for a polio outbreak for months, as the humanitarian crisis unleashed by Israel’s offensive on the strip only grows. Abdel-Rahman's diagnosis confirms health workers’ worst fears.
