WHO Reports Success of First Phase in Gaza's Polio Vaccination Campaign

Photo : AFP

Geneva, Switzerland: The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday that the first phase of a large-scale polio vaccination campaign in Gaza has been successfully completed. Nearly 200,000 children in central Gaza received their initial dose as part of this effort. This campaign follows the recent confirmation of Gaza’s first polio case in 25 years.

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Gaza has been severely impacted by ongoing conflict, with much of the region in ruins and its 2.4 million residents living in challenging conditions, including overcrowded and unsanitary shelters. The dire situation has exacerbated the spread of disease.

The vaccination campaign commenced on Sunday and has been bolstered by localized "humanitarian pauses" in the fighting, which have allowed for safer vaccine distribution. The goal is to fully vaccinate over 640,000 children across the region, which has been heavily affected by nearly 11 months of warfare.

Between September 1 and 3, the first phase of the campaign in central Gaza reached more than 187,000 children under the age of 10. Despite the challenging conditions, the campaign saw substantial participation from health workers and volunteers. The WHO expressed gratitude to all involved, acknowledging the difficulties faced in conducting the campaign amid the ongoing conflict.

The WHO had initially estimated the need for vaccines for about 157,000 children in central Gaza but later revised this number upward due to unexpected population movements and the expanded coverage area.

More than 500 teams, comprising nearly 2,200 health and community outreach workers, were involved in the vaccination effort. They operated from 143 fixed vaccination sites and conducted outreach in hard-to-reach areas, including those outside the designated humanitarian pause zones. The campaign will continue in central Gaza with ongoing vaccinations at four large health facilities to ensure no child is missed.

The focus will soon shift to southern Gaza, where approximately 340,000 children are expected to receive their first dose over the next four days. A final phase will target northern Gaza between September 9 and 11, aiming to reach around 150,000 children. A second dose campaign is planned to start in about four weeks.

The WHO emphasized the importance of achieving at least 90 percent vaccination coverage to prevent further spread of polio within Gaza and to neighboring regions. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO's representative for the Palestinian territories, stressed the commitment to ensuring that no child suffers from polio and preventing its spread beyond Gaza.

The ongoing conflict, which began with a Hamas attack on October 7, has resulted in significant casualties. According to the latest figures, at least 40,861 people have died in Gaza, with a large portion being women and children.

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