WHO sends 1 million polio vaccines to Gaza

– We are sending over a million vaccines, which will be given in the coming weeks, says WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press conference on Wednesday.

So far, no clinical cases of polio have been found in the Gaza Strip, but the Gaza Ministry of Health declared an epidemic in the war-torn territory in July, blaming Israel’s warfare. The WHO is working on a vaccination campaign after the virus was detected in the sewage in the regions of Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah, says polio specialist Hamid Jafari at the WHO at the press conference. He says the virus may have been in circulation since September

Although there are vaccines available for half a million children, delivery and distribution in Gaza is difficult due to the limited freedom of movement in the area.

– We need a truce, if only a temporary truce to carry out a successful campaign. Otherwise, we risk the virus spreading further and can cross borders, says WHO regional director Hanan Balkhy.

Children under the age of five are most vulnerable to the viral disease, which can damage the nervous system and lead to paralysis. Children under the age of two are particularly vulnerable because regular vaccination programs have been disrupted as a result of the war, which has been going on for ten months.

Worldwide, the number of poliomyelitis cases has been reduced by 99 percent since 1988 thanks to mass vaccination campaigns. Efforts are still being made to eradicate the disease completely.