Polio vaccination campaign kicks off in Gaza Strip

(MENAFN) A polio vaccination campaign officially kicked off on Sunday in the Gaza Strip, amidst a backdrop of ongoing conflict. This initiative was launched after the region reported its first polio case in 25 years last month, prompting immediate action to prevent further outbreaks. The United Nations has coordinated "humanitarian pauses" to facilitate the large-scale immunization effort, ensuring that the campaign can proceed despite the challenging conditions.

The vaccination campaign commenced in three health centers located in central Gaza, with additional children having received vaccinations in the southern part of the region the day prior. The campaign targets children from as young as one day old up to 10 years old, who began arriving at the centers early in the morning as drones flew overhead. Yasser Shaabane, the medical director of Al-Awda hospital in central Gaza, expressed hope that the vaccination efforts would proceed without incident, despite the heavy presence of drones in the area. The campaign officially began at 9:00 am local time (0600 GMT), with health workers prepared to administer doses to the incoming children.

This vaccination drive is a critical effort aimed at reaching more than 640,000 children across the besieged territory, which has been devastated by nearly 11 months of war. The campaign's goal is to ensure that at least 90 percent of Gaza's children receive the first dose of the polio vaccine—administered as two oral drops. The reemergence of polio in Gaza, a region that had been polio-free for 25 years, is particularly alarming and has heightened the urgency of this campaign. The World Health Organization (WHO) has already dispatched 1.26 million doses of the oral vaccine to support the effort.

To effectively administer the vaccine, Gaza's health ministry has identified 159 vaccination centers across the region. These include 67 centers in central Gaza, 59 in the southern areas, and 33 in the northern regions, utilizing a mix of hospitals, smaller health centers, and schools. The campaign is designed to administer the first dose to as many children as possible, with a second dose scheduled to be given four weeks after the initial immunization. The successful execution of this campaign is seen as crucial to preventing a potential polio outbreak in the region, amidst the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis.

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