All children who were vaccinated against polio in the Gaza Strip in September now need a second dose of the vaccine. But the campaign has to be interrupted due to heavy bombing.
The polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip cannot continue as planned due to heavy bombing and the new displacement of residents. The World Health Organization (WHO) announced in Geneva that the program in the northern part of the Gaza Strip could not begin as planned. Around 120,000 children under ten years of age should be given the second dose of vaccination there.
The first round in mid-September passed without any major incidents. In the central and southern Gaza Strip, almost 443,000 children have already received their second dose of vaccination.
Israel has increased attacks on suspected hideouts of the terrorist organization Hamas in the northern Gaza Strip. Thousands of people were asked to leave their houses and apartments. This is intended to avoid civilian casualties. But there are hardly any places of refuge for people.
The WHO announced that the humanitarian pauses in combat that had actually been promised would not be adhered to. The zone for which humanitarian pauses in fighting had been agreed has been reduced. The breaks should make it possible for families to go to vaccination centers with their children or for mobile teams to reach families at home or in emergency camps.
The WHO warned of the consequences: “If a significant number of children do not receive their second dose of vaccination, this will seriously jeopardize efforts to stop the transmission of poliovirus in the Gaza Strip,” it said.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
