Gaza's First Polio Case in 25 Years Spurs Urgent Campaign for 640,000 Children Amid Conflict, Hamas Cooperates

Aug 29, 2024, 07:11 PM

The Gaza Strip is facing a critical health challenge as it records its first polio case in 25 years, identified in a 10-month-old child named Abdul Rahman. The World Health Organization (WHO), along with UN agencies, plans to launch a two-round polio vaccination campaign targeting over 640,000 children under the age of 10, starting September 1. However, the ongoing conflict in the region poses significant obstacles to the campaign's success. The WHO has secured 1.26 million doses of polio vaccines from Indonesia, with an additional 400,000 doses en route. Humanitarian organizations, including UNICEF and UNRWA, are calling for a ceasefire or humanitarian pauses to ensure the safe administration of the vaccines. UNICEF spokesperson Jonathan Crickx highlighted the difficulty of conducting a vaccination campaign in an active combat zone. Hamas has expressed readiness to cooperate with international organizations to facilitate the vaccination campaign. The European Union and other international bodies have also called for immediate humanitarian pauses to allow the vaccination effort to proceed. Meanwhile, recent Israeli strikes have resulted in at least 34 casualties, further complicating the situation.