The WHO is targeting a 90% vaccination rate in Gaza to stop the spread of the virus. BBC
Israel has agreed to a series of temporary pauses in fighting in Gaza to support a crucial polio vaccination campaign, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The initiative, starting on Sunday, aims to vaccinate around 640,000 children across the Gaza Strip. The vaccination effort will unfold in three phases, covering the central, southern, and northern regions of Gaza. During each phase, there will be a three-day break in hostilities from 06:00 to 15:00 local time.
This agreement follows recent reports of a 10-month-old baby becoming partially paralyzed from polio—the first case in Gaza in 25 years. Currently, about 1.26 million doses of the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) are already available in Gaza, with an additional 400,000 doses expected soon. The vaccination will be administered by UN staff and local health workers, with over 2,000 trained personnel ready to help. The WHO aims to achieve 90% vaccine coverage to halt the virus's spread in Gaza. If necessary, an extra day of pause is planned to ensure this coverage is met.
Poliovirus spreads easily through contaminated water and sewage, causing severe complications such as paralysis and death, particularly in children under five. Immunization rates in Gaza and the West Bank were high before recent conflicts, but coverage fell from 99% in 2022 to 89% last year.
The Israeli military has also started vaccinating its soldiers against polio. Hamas official Basem Naim has expressed readiness to work with international organizations to ensure the success of the vaccination campaign, which aims to protect more than 650,000 children in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu clarified that the temporary pauses are not a ceasefire but are intended to facilitate the vaccination effort.
James Kariuki, the UK's deputy permanent representative to the UN, praised the vaccination plan, emphasizing the need for sufficient pause durations to reach the 90% vaccination target. He stressed the importance of protecting all children at vaccination sites. Prof. Hagai Levine, a spokesman for the Hostages Families Forum, called for the inclusion of hostages in the vaccination campaign.
The conflict began in response to a severe attack by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, which resulted in around 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages taken. Since then, more than 40,530 people have died in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
