UN Launches Crucial Polio Vaccination Drive in Gaza Amid Conflict

The United Nations, in collaboration with Palestinian health authorities, has commenced a critical polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip. This initiative, which began on September 3, 2024, aims to immunize 640,000 children against the potentially devastating disease. The campaign follows the confirmation of the first polio case in Gaza in 25 years, reported in August 2024.

Israel and Hamas have agreed to brief pauses in their ongoing conflict to facilitate the vaccination effort. The fighting will be suspended for approximately eight hours daily in specified areas, allowing health workers to reach children with the vital vaccine.

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a baby was partially paralyzed by type 2 poliovirus last month, highlighting the urgency of the situation. Polio, a highly infectious viral disease, primarily affects children under five years of age and can cause irreversible paralysis in one out of every 200 infections.

Juliette Touma, communications director of UNRWA, the UN Palestinian refugee agency, described the campaign as "one of the most complex in the world." She emphasized the importance of the conflict parties respecting the agreed-upon pauses to allow medical workers to reach children with the "very precious two drops" of vaccine.

The vaccination drive faces significant challenges in Gaza, a region that has been severely impacted by the ongoing conflict. WHO officials stress that at least 90% of children need to be vaccinated twice, with a four-week interval between doses, for the campaign to succeed.

"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."

The polio vaccination campaign in Gaza is part of the global effort to eradicate the disease. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, launched in 1988, has made significant progress, with the last case of wild poliovirus in the Americas reported in 1991. However, vaccine-derived polioviruses can emerge in under-immunized populations, underscoring the importance of maintaining high vaccination coverage.

While the vaccination campaign proceeds, the conflict between Israel and Hamas continues. The war, which began on October 7, 2023, has resulted in significant casualties and destruction. According to Gaza's health ministry, at least 40,691 Palestinians have been killed and 94,060 injured since the conflict began.

As health workers race against time to vaccinate Gaza's children, the international community watches closely, hoping for the success of this crucial public health initiative amidst ongoing hostilities.