As the war between Israel and Hamas continues, Health workers are preparing to begin a second round of polio vaccinations for young children in Gaza. Two doses are necessary to provide protection to children and the broader community against the highly contagious disease, which paralyzed 3 children in Gaza earlier this year. The conflict had disrupted vaccinations, which led to Gaza’s first polio infections in two and a half decades. To reduce further spread in Palestine and surrounding countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched a large-scale vaccination campaign last month. For the vaccines to build enough herd immunity to work, at least 95% of children younger than 10 years old must be vaccinated. In Gaza, this represents about 590,000 eligible children. The WHO reported in September that the first series of vaccinations achieved this 95% mark.
As with first round of the campaign, the success of the mission hinges on the cooperation of both military forces, Palestine’s Hamas and Israel’s IDF, to uphold commitments to humanitarian pauses in fighting. “It worked for the round one and we are confident that it will work for round two,” said Jean Gough, UNICEF Special Representative to the State of Palestine. Like September’s operation, this second round of vaccinations will occur in 3 stages organized by region. This time, kids will also receive a vitamin A supplement to bolster their immune system. A
