The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has called for a seven-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to immunize approximately 640,000 children against polio, according to reports on Friday.
This appeal follows the organization’s warning to UN relief teams about the ongoing high risk of poliovirus transmission in Gaza, highlighting the urgent need for a comprehensive response to this health threat.
In an update published on the official UN website, both the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF emphasized that reducing the spread of the virus requires at least two rounds of oral polio vaccinations.
This announcement comes after the Global Polio Laboratory Network detected type 2 poliovirus in sewage samples collected on June 23 from Khan Younis and on July 16 from Deir al-Balah.
The WHO noted that while Gaza previously had excellent coverage of polio vaccinations, the months of conflict have fostered conditions favorable for the mutation of the weakened poliovirus into a more virulent strain capable of causing paralysis among individuals who are not fully vaccinated.
Both the WHO and UNICEF also expressed concern over potential delays in the delivery of polio vaccines and essential cold chain equipment due to the ongoing hostilities.
