AAP FACTCHECK – An image of a Palestinian child suffering from a skin disease is being falsely claimed as showing the side effects of the polio vaccine.
The image is from a UK Channel 4 news report, and it shows a girl who had been living with a severe skin condition for many months before a polio vaccine rollout began in Gaza.
The claim is in Facebook posts featuring an image of the girl overlaid with the Channel 4 logo shared on September 14, 2024.
The posts appeared after the World Health Organization announced an emergency polio vaccine drive in Gaza on September 1.
“Bill Gates Polio Vaccine in Gaza already having side effects on many children in Gaza,” the post captions said.
The girl’s image appeared in the Channel 4 report posted on YouTube (one minute 38 seconds) on September 14, 2024.
The report titled ‘Gaza children suffering epidemic of skin infections’ identified the girl in the image as a five-year-old named Maryam.
“She suffers from suspected severe psoriasis, exacerbated by the dire conditions in Gaza,” the Channel 4 reporter said.
Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin condition.
Videos of Maryam were also posted on Instagram on May 1, 2024, four months before the polio vaccine rollout began in Gaza on September 1.
A GoFundMe appeal was set up for Maryam on May 2, describing her as suffering from panniculitis, a condition involving inflammation of the fat layer under the skin.
The charity Children Not Numbers said that it helped secure medication for Maryam, describing her condition as severe psoriasis, in an Instagram post on June 28.
In August, an unvaccinated 10-month-old child was confirmed as Gaza’s first case of polio in 25 years, The Associated Press reported.
Polio is a potentially fatal and paralysing disease which is highly infectious.
The incidence of polio worldwide has decreased by over 99 per cent since 1988, according to the WHO, but endemic transmission continues in some areas of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
There have been no reports of children suffering side effects from polio vaccines in Gaza.
The final phase of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza was suspended on October 23 amid Israel’s continued bombardment, according to the UN.
AAP FactCheck has previously debunked false claims about billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates and the WHO, and Mr Gates and vaccination in Brazil.
The Verdict
False – The claim is inaccurate.
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