Mass Polio Vaccination Campaign in the Gaza Strip Amidst Ongoing Conflict

Mass Polio Vaccination Campaign in the Gaza Strip

A significant mass polio vaccination campaign targeting young children is set to commence in the Gaza Strip on Sunday. This effort poses unique challenges given the ongoing conflict, where countless individuals have faced repeated displacements, infrastructure has been devastated, and navigating the area remains perilous for both humanitarian workers and civilians.

The success of this inoculation initiative hinges on the ability to secure brief pauses in hostilities. It necessitates meticulous coordination among Israeli authorities, various humanitarian organizations, aid workers, and the health ministry in Gaza, which operates under Hamas governance. Both Israel and Hamas have expressed their commitment to adhere to staggered pauses in fighting to facilitate the vaccination of children. Furthermore, Israel has assured that it will not issue evacuation orders in regions where vaccinations are actively taking place.

However, after nearly a year of continuous conflict in the enclave, there are substantial concerns that the agreement may not endure long enough to accomplish the two rounds of vaccinations deemed essential by health authorities to prevent the potential spread of the disease, both within Gaza and beyond its borders.

“We welcome the commitment to humanitarian pauses in specific areas and the suspension of evacuation orders for the implementation of the campaign,” stated Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, in a recent social media post on Thursday. “However, the only enduring remedy is peace. The sole way to safeguard all the children of Gaza is through a cease-fire.”

Understanding Polio in Gaza

So, why is there a resurgence of polio in Gaza? There are two fundamental types of polio vaccines that have proven to be highly effective:

• An injectable vaccine that utilizes dead virus.
• An oral vaccine that employs a significantly weakened live strain of the virus.

These vaccines are crucial in combating the disease and ensuring the health and safety of children in regions affected by conflict.