The Director General of the World Health Organization announced today, Thursday, that the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza included more than 600,000 children, indicating that the ceasefire allowed vaccination from the previous dose.
After the disease came back in Gaza for the first time in more than 20 years, injuring a 10 -month infant last August, two rounds of vaccination were conducted in September and October.
More than 95% of the targeted children were granted the necessary doses of the oral vaccine.
But environmental samples collected from two sites in December 2024 and January 2025, showed that the polio virus was still widespread.
The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas entered into force on January 19, allowing the launch of a new vaccination campaign targeting 591 thousand children under the age of ten, with the participation of 1,600 vaccination teams and more than 1,200 “social guide”.
The general manager of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanum Ghbriceus, said on the X platform that the 5 -day campaign ended Wednesday and included 602 thousand and 795 children under the age of ten.
He added that “the ceasefire allowed health workers to reach a greater number of children compared to the two previous vaccination tours in 2024, including children who may have missed the opportunity to reach due to the movement of the population, and those who could not have been reached due to the insecurity.”
“The elimination of polio depends on the vaccination of every child to the fullest and ensuring continuous access to safe water, sanitation, hygiene and proper nutrition. But the drug that all Gaza children need is permanent peace.”
The polio virus often spreads through sewage and contaminated water, which is a highly infected virus and may be fatal.
The virus can cause distortions and paralysis, and mainly affects children under the age of five.
The representative of the World Health Organization in the Palestinian territories, Rick Biberkorn, said on Tuesday that despite the cold and rain, the parents brought their children to the vaccination centers.
He said that reaching this large number of children in the first three days is “a great achievement, and I personally did not think that we would reach this number.”
Another vaccination tour is to be made within 4 weeks.