The terrible conditions brought about by the war have caused the disease to resurface after more than two decades, with a case confirmed last week in a 10-month-old baby.
Combating misinformation about vaccines
During his daily press conference from New York on Tuesday, UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric noted that there was misinformation about the vaccine.
“I want to make it clear: the safest and most effective way to protect children against the polio virus, regardless of the strain, is to vaccinate them,” he said. said.
Several news reports have appeared online in Israel and the United States in which two Israeli scientists falsely claim that the polio vaccine to be used in Gaza is “experimental” and poses a danger to civilians in both Palestine and Israel.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN agency that assists Palestinian refugees, UNRWAare preparing for the launch of the campaign, which will be carried out in two rounds.
More than 640,000 children under 10 years of age will receive two drops of oral polio vaccine type 2.
“This vaccine is safe, it is effective and it provides top-quality protection,” Mr. Dujarric said. “It is a vaccine that is recommended worldwide for outbreaks of type 2 poliovirus by the World Health Organization.”
He said the vaccine was rolled out in March 2021 and more than 1.2 billion doses have since been used to protect children in more than 40 countries.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently called for a humanitarian pause to make the extensive vaccination campaign possible.
Gaza had high vaccination rates before the escalation of hostilities in October last year, but routine vaccination rates have declined, increasing the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases in children, including polio.
Israeli evacuation orders pose latest threat to aid workers in Gaza
Meanwhile, the Israeli military’s evacuation orders are affecting the safety of humanitarian workers delivering aid in the Gaza Strip, the head of the UN’s Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) said on Tuesday.
“The mass evacuation orders are the latest in a long list of unbearable threats to UN and humanitarian personnel,” Under-Secretary-General Gilles Michaud said in a statement.
Mr Michaud underlined the UN’s determination to remain in Gaza, where life-saving aid continues to be provided, calling it “a huge achievement, as we operate at the very limits of tolerable risk.”
No more safe spaces
He said the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had given the UN only hours’ notice last weekend to move more than 200 troops from their offices and living quarters in Deir Al-Balah, a key humanitarian hub.
“Like most Palestinians in Gaza, we are losing safe spaces for our own personnel.“, he said.
Moreover, “the timing could hardly be worse,” he added, as UN agencies are set to launch a mass polio vaccination campaign next week, which will require large numbers of staff to enter the enclave.
In the sights
“However, the IDF’s actions this weekend exacerbate existing security threats and severely impact the pace at which we can deliver safely. These limitations are beyond our control,” he continued.
Mr Michaud said “humanitarian workers were in the crosshairs” throughout the Gaza crisis – by far the deadliest ever for the UN.
“In accordance with international humanitarian law, our ability to provide assistance rests on the responsibility of parties to conflicts to do everything in their power to keep our colleagues safe,” he said.
He stressed that “the women and men who risk their lives to provide humanitarian assistance need a safe and consistent place to work,” and called on all parties to “respect international law and their obligations under the UN.” UN Charter to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and UN buildings.”
