Child given polio vaccine in Be'er Sheva
Child given polio vaccine in Be'er ShevaFlash 90

In response to an Arutz Sheva request, the Health Ministry's spokesman, Eyal Basson, said that "the Health Ministry has been monitoring for a month the incidence of polio in Eastern Syria. Up until now 17 confirmed cases have been reported."

"All the cases are in Eastern Syria far from Israel's border, in the area controlled by ISIS. The World Health Organization is organizing a vaccination campaign for 400,000 children but is suffering from difficulties due to the fighting raging in the region."

Basson explained that "Israel is well protected from a possible penetration of the polio virus. The level of immunity against the disease is above 95% in all age groups. The level of coverage gained by the vaccination against polio is also 95%. The ministry is also closely monitoring sewage all over the country, including in areas where wounded Syrians are being treated.

"The Health Ministry is continuing to closely monitor developments in Syria. Our estimation is that the chance of a polio outbreak due to this incident is very low."