The World Health Organization (WHO) announced it will send over one million doses of polio vaccine to Gaza, following the detection of the virus in the region’s sewage systems.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, confirmed that “the WHO will dispatch more than one million polio vaccines to be administered in the coming weeks.”
However, he emphasized the logistical challenges in ensuring the distribution of 1.2 million doses of the polio vaccine within Gaza. The first round of immunization is planned to commence on August 17.
The organization warned that the mass displacement in Gaza significantly impacts public health. Overcrowding, inadequate shelter, and poor water and sanitation conditions exacerbate the risk of infectious diseases.
WHO noted an expected rise in the number of patients needing medical evacuation from Gaza due to ongoing conflict and the diminishing capacity of the healthcare system. The organization urged the establishment of multiple medical evacuation corridors out of Gaza to ensure the safe passage of patients through all available routes.
Currently, nearly two million Gazans are living in camps and shelters under harsh conditions, facing the threat of infectious diseases. Children in Gaza hospitals await treatment amid a severe shortage of medications and medical supplies since the conflict began.
Mohamed Al-Souri from Nasser Medical Complex told “Al Ittihad” that medications and medical aid are becoming increasingly scarce, forcing hospitals to ration essential supplies like bandages. Omar Al-Madhoun called for an end to the conflict and the delivery of as much medical aid as possible, particularly as cases of hepatitis are on the rise.
The ongoing conflict has severely hampered humanitarian efforts. After nearly three months of Israel’s extensive ground operation in Rafah, southern Gaza, humanitarian organizations and relief agencies have issued urgent warnings.
They stress that the continued battles have drastically reduced the chances of delivering aid to those affected by the war in this coastal enclave.
Officials from these organizations highlight that their capacity to provide the necessary “humanitarian response” to Gazans caught in the crossfire since October 7 is on the brink of collapse. The military operations in Rafah, which had housed the majority of those displaced from other combat zones in Gaza, have further complicated relief efforts.
According to these officials, the advance of the fighting into Rafah forced humanitarian organizations to abandon critical infrastructure and supply lines established there during the early months of the conflict.
They are now attempting to reestablish these facilities in other areas of Gaza, despite increasing movement restrictions and ongoing bombings near aid distribution points and UN shelters.
