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By Ezekiel David
Israel has consented to three-day “humanitarian pauses” in Gaza to allow for a polio vaccination campaign targeting around 640,000 children, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced.
The operation, which is scheduled to start on Sunday, will take place in three phases in the northern, southern, and central regions of Gaza. Every day from 06:00 to 15:00 local time, fighting will pause during each stage. Following the first occurrence of polio in Gaza in 25 years, which rendered a 10-month-old paralysed, this agreement was reached.
WHO’s Rik Peeperkorn stated that 1.26 million doses of the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) are already in Gaza, with an additional 400,000 doses expected soon.
Over 2,000 health workers, trained by the UN, will administer the vaccines. Louise Wateridge, a UN spokeswoman, called for a full ceasefire, saying, “We cannot vaccinate children under a sky full of bombs and strikes.”
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Children will receive two doses of the oral vaccine this week, with a follow-up dose needed in four weeks. WHO aims for 90% vaccine coverage to halt the virus’s spread. An extra day of humanitarian pause has been agreed upon if necessary to meet this target.
The poliovirus is extremely contagious, spreading via sewage and tainted water. It can kill or paralyse people, especially young children. The West Bank and Gaza had 99% vaccination coverage against polio in 2022, but that number fell to 89% the previous year.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clarified that the pauses are “not a ceasefire.” Hamas official Basem Naim expressed readiness to cooperate with international organisations to protect Gaza’s children. The Israeli military has also started vaccinating its soldiers.
The immunisation campaign occurs amid an ongoing conflict that began on October 7 when Hamas launched an onslaught on southern Israel, killing about 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages. Since then, Gaza has lost almost 40,530 citizens, the health ministry headed by Hamas reports.
(Source: BBC)
