2nd round of polio vaccinations in Gaza set to start on Oct. 14: UNICEF
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced on Thursday that a second round of polio vaccinations will begin on October 14 in the Gaza Strip, which has been enduring a devastating conflict for the past year.
“The second round of polio vaccination in the Gaza Strip is confirmed. It will start on 14 October to vaccinate around 590K children under 10,” stated UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on social media.
Russell emphasized that “area-specific humanitarian pauses have been agreed,” urging compliance with these pauses.
“Without them, it is impossible to vaccinate the children,” she added.
She also noted that vitamin A supplements will be provided to children to bolster their immune systems, given that “children in Gaza live in extremely dire hygiene and sanitation conditions” amid the ongoing Zionist aggression that has persisted for over a year.
“With the additional vaccine equipment and cold boxes that arrived yesterday (Wednesday), UNICEF is ready to deliver and vaccinate children to stop the transmission of polio,” she added.
On August 16, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported the first case of polio in the Gaza Strip.
In collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Palestinian Ministry of Health, UNICEF, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), a vaccination campaign targeting over 600,000 children under ten was launched in the Gaza Strip.
The first wave of vaccinations concluded on September 16, achieving a coverage rate of 90%.
