The campaign moved to the southern areas of the Gaza Strip, after the first phase in the center of the enclave was successfully completed, largely due to lulls in the fighting.
UNRWA together with partners, the first dose of polio vaccine was given to children under 10 years old at the Japanese health center in the devastated city of Khan Younis.
One mother said she got her children vaccinated as soon as possible, “because I’m afraid polio will spread because of the sewers and the lack of hygiene, especially the lack of cleaning supplies.”
Top humanitarian organization participates
Sigrid Kaag, UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, was present at the Japanese clinic and helped administer vaccines to several children as a symbolic gesture to emphasize the importance of the campaign.
“You see people who are proud to be here, to protect their children, to give the vaccinations. And ultimately it shows that if there is political will, a lot is possible in the humanitarian field. That is what we need. This is a prime-time example of that,” she said.
Over the next four days, health workers will be targeting an estimated 340,000 children in southern Gaza. 517 teams will be deployed, including 384 mobile teams, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
A third and final phase will be implemented in northern Gaza from September 9 to 11, targeting approximately 150,000 boys and girls.
An urgent answer
The campaign aims to provide two drops of the new oral polio vaccine type 2 to more than 640,000 children under 10 years of age during each round.
It is part of an urgent response to prevent the spread of polio. Polio has resurfaced in Gaza after a 25-year absence, after a circulating variant of poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) was detected in six environmental samples from the central Gaza Strip in June.
The campaign is being implemented by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in collaboration with WHO, UNRWA and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other humanitarian partners.
Humanitarian pause respected
During the first phase, from September 1 to 3, health workers reached more than 187,000 young people in central Gaza, exceeding the initial estimated target of 157,000.
Vaccinations will continue to be administered in four major health centres in the coming days to ensure that no child in the region is missed.
“It is extremely encouraging to see thousands of children having access to polio vaccineswith the support of their resilient families and courageous health workers, despite the dire conditions they have had to live in for the past 11 months.
“All parties have respected the humanitarian pause and we hope that this positive momentum will continue.“, said Dr. Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative for the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Reaching families where they are
The first phase of the campaign was implemented by 513 teams, consisting of over 2,180 health and community workers.
Vaccinations were carried out in 143 permanent locations, including hospitals, health posts, primary health care centres, camps hosting displaced people, key public gathering places such as temporary learning spaces, food and water distribution points, and transit routes from the centre to the north and south of Gaza.
Mobile teams also visited tents and hard-to-reach places to reach families who could not visit the permanent locations.
The WHO said the presence of a significant number of children eligible for vaccination who were unable to reach vaccination sites due to insecurity necessitated special missions to three areas – Al-Maghazi, Al-Bureij and Al-Mussader – just outside the agreed humanitarian pause zone.
