Polio Eradication: Tens of thousands of children vaccinated against polio in northern Gaza

Tens of thousands of children have received a second dose of the vaccine following the start of the new round of polio vaccinations in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. More than 58,600 girls and boys under the age of 10 were vaccinated against polio on Saturday, said the children’s aid organization Unicef ​​and the Israeli military authority Cogat, which is responsible for Palestinian affairs.

The vaccination campaign started again on Saturday. It had previously been interrupted due to heavy fighting. On the first day of the new round of vaccinations, the World Health Organization received a report of an attack on a vaccination center, despite the promised tactical ceasefire. There are said to have been six injured. The vaccination campaign continues nonetheless.

Medical sources in the Gaza Strip said the attack was carried out by the Israeli army. The army said it had not attacked in the area at the time. The information could not initially be independently verified.

In a post on Platform X, Unicef ​​spoke of “unprecedented operational and security challenges” in the vaccination campaign. “Parents need security when they bring their children for vaccination and vaccination teams need to be able to do their work.”

According to Unicef, around 119,000 children in the north are to be vaccinated. However, it is unclear whether everyone can be reached for their second dose. According to Cogat, the vaccination round should last at least three days.