Gaza health officials seeing increased cases of muscle weakness leading to paralysis

The ministry of health in Gaza said on Tuesday that since the beginning of June, it has registered 45 cases of what it described as "acute flaccid paralysis," marking an "unprecedented increase in such cases".

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website describes the condition as "an uncommon but serious neurologic condition" which "causes the muscles and reflexes in the body to become weak," mostly in children. There is no known targeted cure. 

"With the inability to diagnose, these cases could be polio or Guillain-Barré syndrome," the statement from the Gaza health ministry said.

"This increase [in cases] is due to the catastrophic environmental and health conditions facing the residents of the Gaza Strip, including water pollution, the collapse of sanitation services, the accumulation of waste, and the spread of infectious diseases, along with malnutrition and weakened immunity".