A polio vaccination campaign began this Saturday (31) in Gaza, after the war-torn region recorded its first case of the disease in 25 years, a health official told AFP.
Health authorities in the Hamas-ruled area, along with the UN and NGOs, “are about to start a polio vaccination campaign in the central region,” said Moussa Abed, director of primary care at the Gaza Ministry of Health.
The first case of the disease in 25 years was recently confirmed, affecting a ten-month-old child.
As a result of the war, which began on October 7 after the Hamas attack on Israel, the UN sent 1.2 million vaccines to be given orally. Two doses are required, one month apart.
On Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Israel has agreed to a series of three-day “humanitarian stops” in central, southern and northern Gaza to vaccinate more than 640,000 under-age children. 10. The group had initially said that the campaign would start on Sunday.
According to the UN, “at least 90% coverage is needed in all phases of the campaign to stop the epidemic”.
Poliovirus is highly contagious and spreads mostly through sewage and contaminated water, an increasingly common problem in Gaza, with much of the infrastructure destroyed.
The disease affects children under five years of age. It can cause deformities and paralysis and can be fatal.
