Polio vaccination target achieved in Gaza, WHO confirms
A nurse administers Polio vaccine drops to a young Palestinian patient at the Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on August 31, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Hamas militant group. The World Health Organization said Israel had agreed to at least three days of "humanitarian pauses" in parts of Gaza, starting on August 31, to facilitate a vaccination drive after the territory recorded its first case of polio in a quarter of a century. (Photo by Jihad Al-Sharafi / AFP) (Photo by JIHAD AL-SHARAFI/AFP via Getty Images)
The World Health Organization has expressed optimism that a huge polio vaccination drive in Gaza has hit its target of reaching more than 90 percent of children under 10.
“We are confident that we probably reached the target,” Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative for the Palestinian territories, told reporters on the final day of the first phase of the campaign aiming to provide hundreds of thousands of children with a first dose of the vaccine.
A long-awaited vaccination campaign kicked in the war-torn Gaza Strip, aiming to immunize 640,000 children against polio.
The United Nations and Palestinian health authorities joined forces to launch the campaign, which was made possible by brief ceasefires agreed upon by Israel and Hamas.
The urgent need for the campaign was underscored by the World Health Organisation’s confirmation last month of a polio case in Gaza, the first in 25 years. A baby was left partially paralysed by the type 2 polio virus, prompting swift action from health officials.
The vaccination drive began in central Gaza and has expanded to other areas. To facilitate the campaign, clashes are paused for at least eight hours.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza, which began on October 7, continues to have a destructive impact on the enclave. Hamas-led fighters launched a surprise attack on Israel, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 people.
In response, Israel’s offensive has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
