WHO Launches Polio Vaccination Campaign in Gaza

Polio Vaccine Reaches 161,000 Gaza Children

The United Nations has urged the launch of a comprehensive polio vaccination campaign...

Over 161,000 children in central Gaza receive polio vaccine amid ongoing conflict, exceeding initial estimates. UN-led campaign aims to vaccinate hundreds of thousands more across Gaza to prevent outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on September 3 that over 161,000 children in central Gaza have received their first dose of the polio vaccine. This milestone marks the beginning of a United Nations-led mass vaccination campaign in the conflict-affected Palestinian territory.

The campaign, launched on September 1, aimed to vaccinate 156,000 children in central Gaza within the first two days. However, the actual number of children reached exceeded expectations, with more children residing in the area than initially estimated.

According to the WHO, the higher-than-expected turnout can be attributed to the ongoing displacement of children and families in central Gaza due to the conflict. As a result, more children were present in the area and able to receive the vaccine.

The Gaza Strip has been embroiled in conflict for nearly 11 months, with Israel targeting the Palestinian militant group Hamas, resulting in the repeated displacement of thousands of Gazans. This volatile situation has created significant challenges for the vaccination campaign, making it difficult to ensure all children are reached.

Due to the complexities of the situation, the organizations behind the vaccination campaign have announced an extension of their efforts in central Gaza. Initially scheduled to last three days, the campaign will now likely continue for an additional day to maximize its reach and impact.

The United Nations has urged the launch of a comprehensive polio vaccination campaign across Gaza after a quarter-century hiatus, following the detection of a single case in the territory. Experts warn of a potential outbreak due to the precarious living conditions of hundreds of thousands of internally displaced individuals, who are currently residing in overcrowded settings.

To facilitate the vaccination effort, Israel and Hamas have agreed to implement brief daily ceasefires, from morning to afternoon, allowing health workers to administer vaccines. However, the fragile truce was disrupted by reports of Israeli military strikes on the night of September 2, underscoring the challenges of conducting humanitarian operations amidst ongoing conflict.

The ongoing violence in Gaza has hindered access to vaccination centers for some families, while mobile vaccination teams have also faced challenges in reaching these families due to the volatile situation, according to the UN.

Vaccination efforts are now shifting to southern Gaza, where teams aim to inoculate approximately 340,000 children under the age of 10 against the type 2 polio virus. This follows a three-day campaign in northern Gaza, which targeted an additional 150,000 children.

To ensure the vaccine's effectiveness, all children will require a second dose in four weeks. The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes that more than 90% of children in Gaza need to be vaccinated to prevent a polio outbreak.