Sun 01 September 2024:
Israeli airstrikes on Saturday (August 31) killed at least 48 people in the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian health officials. This attack comes just before a planned polio vaccination campaign was set to begin in the Palestinian enclave.
This vaccination drive comes after the first reported polio case of type 2 poliovirus in Gaza in 25 years, involving a 10-month-old boy who is now paralyzed in one leg. The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned that this case of paralysis could indicate hundreds of others are infected with the virus but are not yet showing symptoms.
Deputy health minister calls for full ceasefire to ensure campaign success
Yousef Abu Al-Reesh, Gaza’s deputy health minister, expressed concerns about the campaign’s success, saying that vaccination teams would try to reach as many areas as possible. However, he stressed that only a full ceasefire would ensure that enough children are vaccinated.
“If the international community truly wants this campaign to succeed, it should call for a ceasefire, knowing that this virus does not stop, and can reach anywhere,” he said during a press briefing at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis
On Saturday, as a symbolic gesture before the official start of the campaign, medical staff administered vaccines to some children in the wards of Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
WHO officials have stressed that at least 90 per cent of the children must receive two doses of the vaccine, with a four-week interval between doses, for the campaign to be effective. However, the campaign faces significant challenges, as Gaza has been largely reduced to rubble after 11 months of conflict.
On Thursday, WHO announced it had secured an agreement with Israel to allow limited pauses in the conflict to facilitate the vaccination campaign.
Vaccination campaign schedule and coordination
The three-day vaccination campaign in central Gaza is scheduled to start on Sunday (Sep 1), during a humanitarian pause from 6:00 am to 3:00 pm (local time). An additional day may be added if necessary, according to Dr Rik Peeperkorn, WHO’s representative in the Palestinian territories.
Following this, the campaign will move to southern and northern Gaza during similar pauses, in coordination with Israeli authorities, Dr Peeperkorn added during a video press conference from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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