Health workers in Gaza have initiated a crucial campaign to vaccinate over 600,000 children against polio amid ongoing conflict. The effort, led by a coalition of international and local health organizations, aims for a 90% coverage to halt the outbreak and prevent global spread. The campaign’s success hinges on the maintenance of humanitarian pauses in the fighting, allowing teams to safely reach children across divided zones within a tight timeframe.
- The vaccination campaign targets at least 640,000 children in Gaza to prevent the spread of polio.
- Aid workers, including teams from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, are conducting the immunizations.
- The campaign is structured into two phases, aiming for 90% coverage to effectively stop the outbreak.
- Gaza has been divided into three zones – central, south, and north – each with a specific target population and a three-day vaccination schedule.
- On the first day, 513 teams reached approximately 87,000 children, indicating a strong start to the campaign.
- There is a high acceptance of vaccination in Gaza, with pre-crisis coverage rates reaching 90 to 95%, higher than many high-income countries.
- The biggest challenge to the campaign is the complex situation in Gaza, including the need for continued humanitarian pauses to allow health workers safe access to children.
- The health infrastructure in Gaza is deeply affected, with less than half of hospitals partly functional and a third of primary health care centers operational, exacerbating the risk of polio and other infectious diseases.
- The campaign’s progress is viewed as a positive step, but there’s an overarching need for a ceasefire and peace arrangements to improve the overall health and safety conditions in Gaza.
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