The campaign, began in central Gaza, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, and UNRWA, will gradually move to the south and north of the Strip….reports Asian Lite News
The UAE has launched an urgent vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip, aimed at protecting over 640,000 children from the threat of polio.
The campaign, in line with the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, began on Sunday in central Gaza, in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, and UNRWA, and will gradually move to the south and north of the Strip. The campaign aims at vaccinating 90 percent of children to prevent the spread of polio.
Volunteers from ‘Operation Chivalrous Knight 3’ played a key role in organising and supporting vaccination points, contributing to the smooth operation of the campaign and providing assistance to families and children, thereby enhancing the campaign’s effectiveness in achieving its goals.
Amid significant challenges in Gaza, including population displacement and the deterioration of health systems and water and sanitation networks, this campaign is a critical response to prevent the spread of epidemics and protect future generations.
In August, the World Health Organisation confirmed the first case of polio in the Strip in 25 years, underscoring the importance of this intervention to safeguard the children of Gaza.
More than 2,100 health workers, including mobile health teams, are participating in the campaign to ensure the vaccine reaches all targeted children during humanitarian ceasefires.
Through this initiative, the UAE reaffirms its ongoing commitment to supporting its brothers in Gaza, particularly in providing protection and healthcare for children in these challenging circumstances.
Over 161k kids vaccinated in two days
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has vaccinated 161,000 Palestinian children in two days as part of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza, surpassing the initial target of around 156,550.
Speaking at a press conference today (via video link from Gaza) to journalists in Geneva, Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO Representative in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, stated that preliminary data shows around 74,340 children were vaccinated on the second day of the campaign, while over 86,600 children were vaccinated on the first day.
Dr. Peeperkorn added that the majority of the remaining children in central Gaza are expected to be vaccinated by the end of the first round. He noted that multiple teams have been deployed at larger fixed sites, allowing some to operate as mobile teams to proactively reach children and ensure no child is missed.
The WHO official confirmed that vaccination teams encountered larger populations in Maghazi, Bureij, and Al-Masdar, where additional vaccine shipments were sent to primary healthcare centres in Maghazi and Bureij due to high demand.
Dr. Peeperkorn highlighted that WHO considers there to be a significant risk of type 2 poliovirus infection within Gaza and internationally, due to gaps in children’s immunity caused by disruptions in routine immunisation, a high number of newborns, the destruction of the healthcare system, ongoing population displacement, malnutrition, and severely damaged water and sanitation systems.
Last Saturday, President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan directed the allocation of US$5 million to support the emergency polio vaccination campaign in Gaza following the first recorded case of the virus in the area. The initiative is part of the UAE’s ongoing efforts to provide relief to the Palestinian people, particularly children, in response to the challenging humanitarian conditions they face.
Second batch of vaccines arrive
A shipment of 350,000 polio vaccine doses arrived in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan said.
This is the second batch of vaccines, which are being stored in a dedicated warehouse for a coordinated vaccination campaign with the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef). A total of nearly 1.6 million doses are expected to arrive, enough to vaccinate all children from birth to 10-years-old with two doses each, Xinhua news agency reported.
The campaign will extend to Khan Younis, Gaza City, and northern governorates.
Abu Ramadan also urged the international community and organisations to press Israel to halt the “aggression” and allow health personnel to work in Gaza.
UNRWA has said that the polio vaccine is very safe, with most children experiencing no side effects.
“There is no treatment for polio, but getting the vaccine is the only effective solution for preventing it,” UNRWA said in a post on social platform X, urging Gaza residents to immunise their children.
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