The United Nations, in collaboration with Palestinian health authorities, began the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza on Sunday, September 1. The campaign targets over 640,000 children under the age of 10.
The decision to vaccinate children in Gaza against polio surfaced after the first confirmed case of polio in the region in over 25 years. The resurgence of Polio, a highly contagious and potentially crippling disease, has increased the UN's urgent efforts to curb the spread.
The campaign, led by agencies like UNICEF, WHO, and UNRWA, aims to administer two rounds of novel oral polio vaccine type 2. The two rounds should protect children against the variant poliovirus. The first round of vaccination has kick-started, with 1.2 million vaccine doses arriving in Gaza on August 26, 2024.
The UN, in an attempt to ensure safe access for vaccination, has called for “humanitarian pauses” in hostilities to allow health workers to reach children and families that cannot access health facilities in the ongoing war. UN officials have stressed that these pauses are important for the campaign's success.
The WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, emphasizing the need for a ceasefire for the campaign to proceed smoothly, has said that “the best vaccine for these children is peace.”
Louise Wateridge, Senior Communications Officer for UNRWA, discusses the challenges they face in reaching these children amidst all the conflict. She says, “We are still struggling to get access to facilities and access to families and children in those areas. It’s far too dangerous for them to travel or move; there is ongoing fighting.”
However, despite these challenges, about 87,000 children were vaccinated on the first day of the campaign. Each child will be vaccinated twice — the first drop on the first day and the second drop four weeks after the first.
The first round, which kicked off on Sunday, August 1, will last three days. The second three-day round will commence in four weeks. The WHO's goal is to vaccinate at least 90% of children under 10 within the short timeframe.
UN's Effort To Eradicate Polio
The UN's effort against polio in Gaza is part of a global initiative to eradicate the disease that has progressed significantly in the past few years. However, families in conflict zones are more vulnerable to Polio attacks.
Before the recent conflict escalation, Gaza had a high level of vaccination coverage, but the ongoing war disrupted immunization routines and exposed children to increased risks of diseases like polio.
The UN's work with Palestinian health authorities and other partners hopes to mitigate these risks and protect the health of these children.
Concerns on the Safety of Vaccination
Amidst the campaign, concerns have emerged about misinformation on the safety of the polio vaccine circulating in Palestine. This false information claims that the vaccine is “experimental”.
The UN has confirmed that the polio vaccine is safe and effective. The UN spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, emphasized that “vaccination is the safest way to protect children from polio.” The vaccine is not experimental. It has been globally recommended for use in outbreaks of type 2 poliovirus by the WHO and has been successfully used in over 40 countries since it was approved in March 2021.