Over 80,000 children in Gaza vaccinated on first day of emergency polio campaign: WHO

More than 80,000 children received polio vaccinations on the first day of the emergency campaign in Gaza’s central governorate, the UN agency UNRWA stated on X, citing statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday.  

Despite Israel’s ongoing military offensive in the devastated territory, now in its 11th month, the mass vaccination programme is being conducted to fight against polio, following the disease resurfacing 25 years since Gaza has been polio-free. 

Israel has been strongly criticised for allegedly sparking the outbreak due to its assault on Gaza's civilian infrastructure and only allowing in vaccines when it became apparent the disease could spread beyond the enclave's borders.

Last month, the WHO confirmed that a baby was partially paralysed by the type 2 polio virus, marking the first case of its kind in Gaza in decades. 

The vaccination campaign is set to expand to other parts of Gaza in the coming days. 

According to Majdi Duhair, head of the technical committee overseeing the vaccination campaign, the effort will initially target central Gaza from 1 to 4 September, followed by Khan Younis from 5 to 9 September.  

Vaccinations will then conclude in Gaza City and the northern regions from 9 to 12 September with fighting halting for at least eight hours on three consecutive days to facilitate the campaign. 

On Monday, UNRWA released a statement on social media platform X stating that the vaccination drives are expanding, "but what they need most is a ceasefire now".

On the previous day, Gaza’s health ministry also reported in a statement on Telegram that medical teams provided vaccination doses for "72,611 children on the first day".

Today, the #polio vaccination campaign in #Gaza middle areas enters its second day

On 1st day only, @UNRWA teams & partners reached around 87,000 children according to @WHO

Efforts are ongoing to provide children with this key vaccine, but what they need most is a #CeasefireNow pic.twitter.com/2psQSbLcAd

— UNRWA (@UNRWA) September 2, 2024

The Turkish news agency Anadolu reported on Sunday that thousands of Palestinians brought children under the age of 10 to the designated centres for polio vaccinations. 

Medical teams overseeing the vaccination campaign in Deir al-Balah additionally told Anadolu they have observed signs of fatigue and malnutrition in hundreds of children receiving vaccinations.  

These conditions are attributed to the harsh circumstances they have endured due to the nearly 11-month-long Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. 

The WHO indicated that the pauses will likely need to extend to a fourth day, with the first round of vaccinations expected to take just under two weeks. 

Complex vaccination drive

Juliette Touma, Communications Director for UNRWA, described the vaccination campaign as massive and "one of the most complex in the world".

"Today is test time for parties to the conflict to respect these area pauses to allow the UNRWA teams and other medical workers to reach children with these very precious two drops. It's a race against time," Touma told news agency Reuters. 

Although Israel and Palestinian group Hamas have yet to agree on a deal to end the war, both parties have pledged to cooperate to ensure the campaign's success. 

According to WHO officials, at least 90 percent of children need to receive two doses, the second administered four weeks after the first, for the campaign to be effective.  

However, the campaign faces significant obstacles in Gaza, which has been heavily damaged by Israel's assault on the enclave, which has seen sanitation, water, and health facilities targeted.

"Children continue to be exposed, it knows no borders, checkpoints or lines of fighting. Every child must be vaccinated in Gaza and Israel to curb the risks of this vicious disease spreading," Touma stressed. 

The vaccination campaign, carried out in partnership with the WHO, UNICEF, and UNRWA, began at Nasser Hospital following a joint press conference by the organisations. 

This initiative is set against a backdrop of severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the months-long conflict, coupled with an Israeli blockade, has led to dire shortages of food, clean water, and medical supplies.  

The deteriorating situation has increased fears of potential disease outbreaks, including polio, with millions living in makeshift camps without access to suitable sanitation.

According to the Gaza health ministry, at least 40,738 Palestinians have been killed and 94,154 wounded due to the ongoing Israeli military attacks in the region since 7 October.