Richard Peeperkorn of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory said the goal is to reach all children in the north with their second and final dose.
“We have protected more children than we expected, but we have missed some,” he said during a video-link briefing for reporters at United Nations Headquarters on Monday, emphasized that recent evacuation orders have displaced thousands of people.
However, the ongoing year-long war combined with weeks of siege and constant Israeli evacuation and bombing orders caused serious delays and setbacks.
Nearly 80% are covered
However, the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said 79% of children in the northern Gaza Strip are now fully vaccinated against polio.
“A humanitarian pause is vital to the implementation of this vital campaign, but without a lasting #Ceasefire, children will continue to suffer and die,” UNRWA said. speak on social media early Monday.
Top United Nations officials were concerned about reported incidents of violence at several locations where parents, their children and aid workers had gathered for the campaign.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed deep concern over the weekend about reports of attacks on a medical center.
UNICEF asked Israel to investigate
Head of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Catherine Russell, in one declare announced late Saturday, stressed that attacks on civilians, including humanitarian workers and what remains of Gaza’s infrastructure and civilian facilities must stop.
“Along with the horrifying levels of child deaths in northern Gaza from other attacks, these most recent events combine to write another dark chapter in one of the most difficult times,” she said. darkest period of this terrible war.
“The entire Palestinian population in northern Gaza, especially children, are at risk of death from disease, famine and ongoing bombings,” she warned, adding that UNICEF is demand that Israel immediately investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack on this organization’s employees. members and that actions must be taken to hold those responsible accountable.
Provide amid conflict
The incidents occurred during an agreed humanitarian pause, which took place between 6am and 4pm during the three-day operation. Eradicated in Gaza 25 years ago, polio re-emerged earlier this year amid multiple humanitarian crises caused by the war, which began after deadly Hamas-led attacks on Israel in October 2023.
According to the Gaza Ministry of Health, to date, Israel’s war in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 people and destroyed large areas of the Gaza Strip, including water stations and medical centers.
Despite access challenges, the Gaza Polio Technical Committee, which includes the Palestinian Ministry of Health, WHO, UNICEF, UNRWA and partners, decided to continue the operation that had been postponed since October 23 due to lack of security guarantees.
According to UN agencies, early Saturday morning, 216 teams were deployed across 106 fixed sites, 22 of which were added to ensure increased vaccination capacity in areas where Newly displaced people are looking for refuge.
Additionally, more than 200 social “mobilizers” engaged the community and raised awareness about vaccination efforts.
The mission is almost completed
The operation in northern Gaza follows the successful implementation of the first two phases of the second round in central and southern Gaza, involving 451,216 children, reaching a total of 96% of the target in these areas.
According to WHO, to stop the easily spread polio virus, at least 90% of children in every community and neighborhood must be vaccinated.
According to the United Nations health agency, delaying the second dose of nOPV2 by six weeks will reduce the impact of two closely spaced rounds, reducing immunity.
WHO also warned that missing the second dose of the vaccine by a significant number of children would seriously jeopardize efforts to contain the spread of the virus and could also lead to further infections in the Strip Gaza and neighboring countries.
