GENEVA, February 19, 2025 – The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday that a large-scale vaccination campaign for children against polio in Gaza will resume this Saturday, with the goal of immunizing over half a million children.
“The current environment in Gaza, including overcrowding in shelters and severely damaged water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure, which facilitates fecal-oral transmission, create ideal conditions for further spread of poliovirus,” stated a WHO press release.
It warned that the movement of people after the current ceasefire could help spread the virus.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, previously emphasized that current priorities include addressing urgent health needs, supporting the operation of hospitals and primary care facilities, and facilitating the transport of patients into and out of Gaza to receive specialized medical care.
