The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday the successful completion of the first phase of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza, where about 200,000 children in the central region received the first dose.
The disease has spread in the devastated area, where the majority of the 2.4 million population have been forced to flee their homes since the onset of the Israeli military attack, with many of these displaced people seeking refuge in dire shelters. In mid-August, the first case of polio in a ten-month-old infant was recorded in the sector, marking the first instance in the area in a quarter of a century.
Since 2014, the WHO has classified polio as a global health emergency, the highest level of alert issued by the international health body. The immunization campaign aims to vaccinate over 640,000 children in the war-torn, besieged sector that has been devastated by nearly 11 months of ongoing conflict.
According to the WHO, the first phase of the vaccination campaign in the central region of the sector managed to immunize 187,000 children. Commenting on the completion of this phase, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “We are grateful for the commitment of all families, health professionals, and vaccinators who contributed to the success of this stage of the campaign, despite the challenging conditions in Gaza.”
He added, “We call for continued respect for the humanitarian truce and continue to call for a ceasefire.” Over 500 teams participated in the vaccination campaign, comprising approximately 2,200 health professionals and social specialists. Children received vaccines at 143 locations.
Despite the conclusion of the extensive campaign in central Gaza, the WHO announced that the vaccination process would continue at four health facilities over the next few days to ensure no child in the area is overlooked. The WHO is set to launch the vaccination campaign in the southern part of the sector on Thursday, aiming to vaccinate 340,000 children over four days.
