GENEVA – On September 12, the World Health Organization (WHO) expressed confidence that a major polio vaccination campaign in Gaza has achieved its goal of reaching over 90% of children under 10. This effort was launched in response to Gaza’s first confirmed polio case in 25 years amid severe conditions resulting from ongoing conflict and displacement.
Mr. Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative for the Palestinian territories, indicated that approximately 552,451 children had received the first dose of the vaccine by September 11. While the WHO initially aimed to vaccinate about 640,000 children, Peeperkorn acknowledged that this figure might have been an overestimate.
The campaign, which benefitted from localized humanitarian pauses in fighting, is seen as a critical step in preventing further spread of polio, a disease that can lead to paralysis and is highly infectious. A second dose campaign is planned to start in about four weeks.
The WHO emphasized the importance of maintaining high vaccination coverage to prevent the disease’s spread both within Gaza and to other regions. Peeperkorn also called for an expansion of humanitarian pauses to facilitate aid delivery and establish proper humanitarian corridors.