Polio Vaccination in Gaza to Start!
Israel has agreed to short breaks in fighting in Gaza to help vaccinate kids against polio, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The plan is to vaccinate around 640,000 children across Gaza, starting Sunday, says Rik Peeperkorn, a senior WHO official.
Polio vaccination in Gaza is crucial to protect thousands of children from this deadly disease.
The campaign will be done in three stages, covering the central, southern, and northern parts of Gaza. During each stage, there will be a three-day pause in fighting from 6 AM to 3 PM local time.
A baby in Gaza got very sick with polio and was partly paralyzed. This is the first polio case in Gaza in 25 years. Now, important people are making decisions to help stop polio from spreading.
There are already 1.26 million polio vaccine doses in Gaza, and more are coming. Health organizations are working together to give the vaccine to people. Over 2,000 health workers are ready to help.
The WHO’s goal is to vaccinate 90% of the children in Gaza, which is necessary to stop the spread of the virus. If needed, they might add a fourth day of vaccinations and pause the fighting again.
Polio is a very contagious disease, often spread through sewage and dirty water. It can cause serious harm like paralysis or even death, especially in children under five.
Before the conflict, vaccination rates in Gaza and the West Bank were high. In 2022, the polio vaccine coverage was about 99%, but it dropped to 89% last year.
The Israeli military started vaccinating its soldiers against polio in July.
Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters that they are willing to work with international organizations to protect the children in Gaza through this campaign.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasized that these pauses are not a ceasefire.
James Kariuki, the UK deputy permanent representative to the UN, welcomed the vaccination plan and stressed that the pauses must be long enough to reach the 90% vaccination target. He also said that when the campaign begins, the children must be fully protected.
Prof Hagai Levine, a spokesman for the Hostages Families Forum, urged that those still being held hostage should also be included in the vaccination campaign.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza began after a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, where about 1,200 people were killed, and 251 were taken hostage. Since then, over 40,530 people have died in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
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