Gaza polio vaccination campaign Day 2: thousands more children protected
The UN-led mass polio vaccination campaign entered its second day in central Gaza on Monday with pauses in fighting holding sufficiently for thousands more children to receive their dose, in addition to the 87,000 who received their first round on Sunday, UN agencies said.
“There were 87,000 vaccinated on the first day out of 156,000 that we are hoping to reach in the Middle Area,” said Louise Wateridge, Senior Communications Officer for UNRWA, the largest UN agency in the Gaza Strip. “It's very promising that already, we have heard interest from parents who have come from Khan Younis, who have come from the southern area, and are asking our staff there and asking our teams, ‘When is the vaccination going to be available for us? When can we take our children?’”
Ms. Wateridge emphasized the urgent need for a ceasefire for the inoculation campaign to be successful, along with the release of all hostages taken during Hamas-led terror attacks in Israel on 7 October. “What these children need most is a ceasefire now," UNRWA said on X.
Speaking on Day Two of the vaccination drive, Ms. Wateridge reported seeing “hundreds of children” at a health centre in Deir Al-Balah and more at an UNRWA school in the central city. “The school reported that 3,000 children were vaccinated yesterday alone, so you know we’re seeing very good numbers and [need] to keep the momentum going,”
On Sunday, vaccination teams operated at UNRWA health centres, mobile medical points, and tents, with similar arrangements in place for Monday. “We are doing everything possible to ensure that all children under the age of 10 are vaccinated. Temporary pauses in the conflict are essential for delivering these vaccines,” UNRWA added on X. “Beyond the pause, these children need a vaccine that has already been delayed for too long.”
First case in 25 years
The initial three-day campaign in Gaza’s Middle Area to protect around 640,000 Palestinian youngsters from the highly infectious disease comes after health authorities detected the first case of polio in Gaza in 25 years. To offer maximum protection, children will need to receive two doses of the vaccine at a four-week interval. More than 1.2 million vaccine doses have been delivered to Gaza, with an additional 400,000 doses expected soon.
UN agencies UNRWA, the UN World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Palestinian health authorities aim to achieve at least 90 per cent vaccination coverage in each round of the campaign to curb the current outbreak and prevent the international spread of polio.
Amid outbreaks of hepatitis, diarrhoea and other preventable diseases linked to 10 months of heavy Israeli bombardment and clashes with Hamas militants, UN agencies underscored the need to for all warring sides to maintain the agreed eight-hour pause in hostilities. “One of the biggest challenges is actually safely distributing the vaccinations because we have some areas in these so-called [humanitarian] pause zones between 6am and 2pm, there needs to be no fighting,” UNRWA’s Ms. Wateridge told UN News. “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, to move; there is ongoing fighting.”
Ms. Wateridge reported “a lot of strikes” on Monday morning and through the night on Sunday. “So the fighting has not stopped by any means. There are some pauses throughout the day, but it's not guaranteed. We don't have guaranteed safety to people, and we really need that to reach all the children to get that 90 per cent success rate.”
Best vaccine is peace: Tedros
Last week, Israeli authorities agreed to a series of three-day “humanitarian pauses” in central, southern, and northern Gaza, allowing the vaccination campaign to proceed. The UN health agency WHO welcomed these pauses but reiterated that ultimately, “the only solution” to safeguard the health of Gaza’s children was a ceasefire. “The best vaccine for these children is peace,”, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The vaccination drive faces significant challenges, including ongoing fighting, devastated roads, and hospital closures caused by the conflict. According to the WHO, insecurity, damaged infrastructure, and population movements make it unlikely that three days in each area will be sufficient for adequate coverage. “It has been agreed that the vaccination period will be extended by a day if necessary,” the WHO noted, stressing that vaccination teams must be protected and allowed to conduct their work safely.
The campaign comes amid a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the conflict between Israel and Hamas, coupled with Israel’s blockade of the enclave, has led to acute shortages of food, drinking water, and medical supplies. The worsening situation has raised fears of further disease outbreaks, not limited to polio. “Today, children in Gaza are receiving the vaccines they so desperately need,” said WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on X. "Ultimately, the best vaccine for these children is peace.”
Latest UN data indicates that approximately 90 per cent of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have been displaced within the besieged territory, with hundreds of thousands crowded into overcrowded tent camps. Some enjoyed rare respite from intense fighting that has devastated much of the Gaza Strip.
“The one thing I noticed yesterday was, you know, going an hour without hearing a bomb,” UNRWA’s Ms. Wateridge said. “Going an hour without hearing a strike…it was noticeable that there was a calmer and quieter day yesterday because it has been so relentless for the last few weeks and also so many evacuation orders; 16 evacuation orders in August alone. Thousands, hundreds of thousands of people and families and being forced to flee.”
STORY: Gaza polio vaccination campaign Day 2 - UNRWA
TRT: 3 min 13s
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 2 SEPTEMBER 2024, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , WHO
Two years of Gaza-Israel war bring ‘indescribable’ pain: UN humanitarians
Two years since the Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel, UN humanitarians on Tuesday reiterated calls for the release of all hostages in Gaza, an immediate ceasefire and an aid surge to alleviate Palestinians’ suffering, as talks on a US-driven peace plan continued in Egypt.
1
1
1
Edited News
Syria prison survivor seeks justice for the missing with UN backing.
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday warned that three and a half years after Russia’s full-scale invasion, the war in Ukraine has entered an even more dangerous and deadly stage for Ukrainian civilians, under relentless bombardment of their schools, hospitals, and shelters.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , WHO , ICRC
Quadcopter victims, terror and death: 30 minutes in a Gaza hospital
UN aid teams on Friday highlighted the disturbing situation in Gaza’s makeshift hospitals, where premature babies cry for scant oxygen and medics attempt to save child survivors targeted by airstrikes in their tents and quadcopter victims reportedly shot while fetching bread.
2
1
2
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday delivered his oral update to the UN Human Rights Council’s 60th session on the human rights situation in Haiti.
The High Commissioner welcomed Wednesday’s decision of the UN Security Council to strengthen the Multinational Security Support mission by transitioning to the Gang Suppression Force for Haiti, stating it is a strong signal of international support for the Haitian people.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
Gaza: As world waits for US peace plan news, UN aid teams stress need for ceasefire
UN agencies reiterated calls for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday to help alleviate Palestinian suffering, as a new US 20-point plan raised hopes of a halt to the fighting.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
The ongoing Israeli military offensive in Gaza City continues to overwhelm the war-torn enclave’s medical professionals, with four more hospitals forced to shut down this month alone, the UN World Health Organization said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
A UN Human Rights report released today details the dire situation of thousands of civilians detained since Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine in 2022.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNICEF
Sudan war: Life-saving cholera vaccination campaign begins in Darfur
Amid the devastating war in Sudan, UN aid teams are overcoming major obstacles to curb a cholera outbreak claiming lives across the country, with young children particularly at risk.
2
1
2
Edited News , B-roll | UN WOMEN
Women and girls still reeling from Afghanistan's recent deadly earthquake face even greater suffering rebuilding their lives and livelihoods without much more help from the international community, UN Women said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Rising civilian casualties, growing ethnic violence and the grim humanitarian situation in Sudan underscore how the crisis there is deepening, according to a UN Human rights report published today.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNITED NATIONS
United Nations agencies staff demonstrates on Place des Nations in Geneva to denounce the killing of their colleagues in Gaza.