The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday the successful completion of the first phase of a large-scale polio vaccination campaign in Gaza, which provided nearly 200,000 children in the central region of the Palestinian territory with their initial dose.
Amid the ongoing conflict and destruction in Gaza, where the majority of the 2.4 million residents have been displaced due to Israel’s military operations, disease outbreaks have become a significant concern. Following the confirmation of the first polio case in 25 years, a massive vaccination effort began on Sunday, facilitated by localized “humanitarian pauses” in the fighting.
The campaign aims to vaccinate over 640,000 children across the besieged region, which has been severely impacted by nearly 11 months of war. The first phase, conducted between September 1 and 3 in central Gaza, successfully reached more than 187,000 children under the age of 10, according to a WHO statement.
“We are grateful for the dedication of all the families, health workers, and vaccinators who made this part of the campaign a success despite the dire conditions in the Gaza Strip,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on X (formerly Twitter). He also urged continued respect for humanitarian pauses and called for a ceasefire.
The WHO initially estimated that vaccines would be required for 157,000 children in central Gaza but later acknowledged that this figure was underestimated due to population movements toward central Gaza and expanded coverage in areas outside the humanitarian pause zones.
Extensive effort to ensure no child is left behind
More than 500 teams, comprising nearly 2,200 health and community outreach workers, participated in the vaccination campaign in central Gaza. The vaccines were administered at 143 fixed sites across the region, while mobile teams reached tents and hard-to-access areas, including those outside the humanitarian pause zones.
Although the large-scale campaign in central Gaza has concluded, vaccinations will continue at four major health facilities to ensure no child is missed. Meanwhile, efforts will shift to southern Gaza, where an estimated 340,000 children are expected to receive their first dose over the next four days. The final phase of the campaign will target around 150,000 children in northern Gaza from September 9 to 11.
A second phase of the campaign to administer a necessary second dose will begin in approximately four weeks. The WHO emphasized the importance of reaching at least 90% vaccination coverage to prevent the spread of polio within Gaza and beyond its borders.
“We want to ensure that no other child in Gaza suffers from polio,” said Rik Peeperkorn, WHO’s representative for the Palestinian territories. “But we also want to make sure that we prevent the spread of polio to neighbouring countries.”
Ongoing conflict in Gaza
The current war began on October 7 with a Hamas attack that resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli officials. Israel’s military campaign in Gaza has since claimed the lives of at least 40,861 people, the majority of whom are women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has confirmed the significant toll on civilians.
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to exacerbate public health challenges, making vaccination campaigns like this one critical to safeguarding the health of vulnerable populations, particularly children.
