Polio vaccination to be organized in Gaza Strip from September 1-12

Gaza’s health ministry has confirmed that a vaccination campaign against polio will be held in the Palestinian enclave from September 1 through 12, Report informs referring to TASS.

"The immunization campaign will kick off in Deir al-Balah (in the central Gaza Strip - TASS) on September 1 and will last until September 4. After that, medical personnel will move to Khan Yunis and Rafah (in the south of the enclave - TASS), where they will work from September 5 through 8, and from September 2 through 12, vaccination against polio will be conducted in the city of Gaza and in the north of the enclave," it said, adding that that vaccine will be available not only at medical institutions but also at schools and refugee camps.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said earlier that some 1.26 million polio vaccine doses had been delivered to the Gaza Strip and 400,000 doses more would arrive soon.

More than 2,180 healthcare workers have been trained to conduct vaccination, which is to cover more than 640,000 children under ten. The campaign will be carried out in several stages and will start from the central Gaza Strip. Then, it will continue in the southern Gaza and in northern Gaza. If necessary, immunization will be carried out in one day.

Palestine’s health ministry said on August 16 that the first polio case had been confirmed in the central Gaza Strip. According to the ministry, the first polio case was registered in the city of Deir al-Balah in a ten-month baby who had receives no vaccine dose. The diagnosis was confirmed in a laboratory in Amman.

On the same day, WHO and UNICEF issued a joint statement announcing a two-stage polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip in late August and September. "WHO and UNICEF request all parties to the conflict to implement humanitarian pauses in the Gaza Strip for seven days to allow for two rounds of vaccination campaigns to take place.

These pauses in fighting would allow children and families to safely reach health facilities and community outreach workers to get to children who cannot access health facilities for polio vaccination. Without the humanitarian pauses, the delivery of the campaign will not be possible," said the document that was posted on UNICEF’s website.

Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease that largely affects children under 5 years of age. It is caused by the poliovirus that virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread and mainly affects nerves in the spinal cord or brain stem.