First phase of polio vaccine campaign in Gaza ends, threat of other diseases high: UN

The first phase of the polio vaccination campaign has ended in Gaza, according to the UN.

However, “the spread of many other diseases remains a threat amid unsanitary conditions”, the international body warned in a social media post.

“Piles of trash keep growing & sewage floods the streets. Greater access to aid for clean water & hygiene supplies is urgent.”

Around 560,000 children under ten years old were vaccinated against polio during the first round of an emergency vaccination campaign conducted in three phases from 1-12 September 2024 in the Gaza Strip.

The original target for the campaign was 640,000 children, estimated in the absence of an accurate survey, which may have been an over-estimate, as the population continues to move from place to place, and people are fleeing and being killed due to the ongoing Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

After the first confirmed polio case in Gaza in 25 years, a massive vaccination effort began.

A second round of the campaign will follow, ideally within four weeks, to provide a second dose of nOPV2 to children in Gaza to stop the outbreak and prevent its international spread.

“Ultimately, we need a long-lasting ceasefire as all families in the Gaza Strip need peace so they can begin to heal and rebuild their lives,” the World Health Organization (WHO) announced.

Israel launched its military onslaught on Gaza after Hamas led an attack on southern Israel on October 7, killing at least 1,200 people.

Promising to destroy Hamas, Israel launched an assault on Gaza, which has killed at least 41,200 people, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian officials.