Polio Vaccination Campaign to Resume Saturday in Northern Gaza (WHO)
The polio vaccination campaign is scheduled to resume on Saturday in northern Gaza, according to the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday.
“Polio vaccination in northern Gaza is ready to resume tomorrow. We are assured of the necessary humanitarian pause in Gaza City to conduct the campaign,” stated Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus via social media.
However, he raised concerns that “the area covered is substantially reduced compared to the first round of vaccination, which will leave some children unprotected and at higher risk of infection.”
The WHO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) “urge for the humanitarian pauses to be respected,” but Tedros emphasized that “what the children in northern Gaza and across the whole Strip really need is peace.”
The WHO launched a vaccination campaign in Gaza on September 1, following the confirmation of the first polio case in 25 years within the territory besieged by the Zionist entity.
The first series of vaccinations has been completed, and the second series—essential for bolstering immunity—commenced as planned on October 14, initially in central Gaza and later in the south, supported by humanitarian pauses.
Nevertheless, the WHO indicated last week that it was compelled to postpone the final phase in the north due to ongoing Zionist bombardments. According to the organization, 452,000 children have been vaccinated in central and southern Gaza.
