Gaza: A new polio vaccination campaign targeting more than half a million children

This campaign comes after the last disclosure of the polio virus in sewage samples in Gaza, which indicates its continued spread in the environment, which endangers children.

Individuals with low immunity or the virus provide an opportunity to continue spreading and the possibility of causing the disease. The current environment in Gaza – including overcrowding in shelters and infrastructure severely affected by water, sanitation and health hygiene – creates ideal conditions for further spread of the polio virus. The intense movement of people in the wake of the current ceasefire is likely to exacerbate the spread of infection with the polio virus.

Two previous rounds of vaccination in the Gaza Strip were successfully conducted in September and October 2024, reaching more than 95% of the goal.

Given the presence of the polio virus in the environment, additional vaccination efforts are needed to reach every child and enhance the immunity of the population, as the presence of the virus still poses a threat to low or non -immunity children, in Gaza and all over the region.

The ceasefire provides better up

In 2024, health workers faced great challenges in reaching certain areas in the center, north and south of Gaza, which required special coordination to enter during the conflict.

About 7,000 children missed the opportunity to vaccinate during the second round in areas that could not be accessed, such as Jabalia, Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun, as the human truce of the vaccination campaign was not guaranteed. The last ceasefire means that health workers have much better access.

The World Health Organization, UNICEF and partners welcomed the last shooting and urged a permanent ceasefire that leads to long -term peace.

New cases have not been reported

According to UNICEF and Global Health, no additional polio cases have been reported since a ten -month -old child was paralyzed in August 2024. But the new environmental samples collected from Deir Al -Balah and Khan Yunis in December 2024 and Canan January 2, 2025, confirms the transmission of the polio virus. The recently discovered strain is genetically linked to the polio virus discovered in the Gaza Strip in July 2024.

An additional tour in April

The upcoming vaccination campaign aims to reach all children under the age of ten, including those who have not been accessed previously, with the aim of bridging the immunity gaps and ending the outbreak. Using the oral polio vaccine will help end this outbreak by preventing the spread of the virus. An additional polio vaccination round is scheduled to be implemented in April.

The campaign will lead the Palestinian Ministry of Health and will be implemented with the support of the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) and other partners.

The two organizations emphasized that polio vaccines are safe and there is no maximum limit for the number of times that the child should be vaccinated. Each dose gives additional protection necessary during an active polio spread.