Second phase of polio immunisation drive underway in Gaza

Crowds of Palestinian children arrived at medical facilities in Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis on Thursday to be vaccinated against polio.

It was the start of the second phase of a vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip, after Israel and Hamas agreed to limited pauses in the fighting to allow it to go ahead.

The immunisation drive was launched after health officials in the Palestinian enclave last month reported the first case of polio in 25 years.

The highly infectious virus is transmitted through contaminated water or food, or contact with an infected person.

With much of Gaza destroyed by the ongoing fighting, parents have been struggling to access healthcare, clean water, and enough food for their children.

This, together with displaced families living in crowded shelters, has created the ideal conditions for the spread of polio and other diseases.

The United Nations said earlier in the week that 189,000 youngsters have received the vaccination so far, providing a “rare bright spot” in nearly 11 months of war.

UNICEF said Wednesday that more than 500 teams were deployed across central Gaza this week, administering the vaccine to children under 10.

UN agencies said they hope to vaccinate a total of 640,000 children.

To be effective, the World Health Organization said at least 90 per cent of children under 10 in Gaza must be immunised.

The campaign faces a host of challenges, from ongoing fighting to devastated roads and hospitals shut down by the war.

Despite the success of the polio campaign so far, diplomatic efforts to secure a permanent ceasefire are faltering.

Gaza’s Health Ministry said more than 40,800 people have been killed in Israel’s ongoing offensive.

The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on 7 October, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250 others.