Vaccination campaign to protect over 640,000 children as WHO and UN mobilize resources amid ongoing conflict.
Why Has Israel Agreed to Pause Fighting for Child Vaccinations?
The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that Israel has agreed to carry out a sequence of humanitarian pauses in Gaza to enable the polio vaccination of youngsters. Starting on Sunday, the campaign seeks to vaccinate about 640,000 youngsters throughout the Gaza Strip.
Three stages of the operation will be conducted across the Strip’s northern, southern, and centre sections. From 06:00 to 15:00 local time, fighting will stop for three days, running in every stage to allow the safe delivery of the vaccination.
Following the first polio case 25 years ago, what spurred a quick response?
Based on a worrisome analysis by UN experts verifying that a 10-month-old infant in Gaza had been paralyzed mainly following the territory’s first polio outbreak in 25 years, this agreement reflects The gravity of the matter that drove a quick worldwide response.
“Polio is a rather contagious virus transmitted via polluted water and sewage. Especially for children under the age of five, it can be lethal and inflict lifetime disfiguredness and paralysis,” the WHO cautioned in a statement.
With 400,000 doses anticipated to arrive shortly, the WHO sent 1.26 million doses of the new oral polio vaccination type 2 (nOPV2) to Gaza.
How Are Resources Being Mobilized for the Vaccination Campaign?
UN personnel and local health professionals will spearhead the immunization program. Over 2,000 health and community outreach staff members have been educated to guarantee the vaccinations’ efficient introduction. The WHO wants a 90% vaccination coverage rate all over the Strip to stop the virus from spreading within Gaza.
An agreement also includes a humanitarian halt if needed and an extra fourth day of immunization to accomplish this degree of coverage.
“These pauses must be long enough to provide 90% coverage. A UK official said: “When the campaign begins and thousands of vulnerable and unaccompanied children assemble at vaccination sites, they must all be protected.”
Why Have Pre-Conflict Vaccination Rates Declined Amid War?
Gaza and the seized West Bank had the best vaccination rates before the war. Although current statistics indicate that polio vaccination coverage dropped to 89% last year due to disturbances brought on by continuous fighting, it is projected to be 99% in 2022.
Reacting to the health issue, the Israeli military likewise declared in July that it had begun immunizing its troops against polio.
“We are ready to cooperate with international organizations to secure this campaign, serving and protecting more than 650,000 Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip,” said a Hamas official expressing the group’s readiness to help the vaccination drive.
Are These Humanitarian Pauses a Ceasefire?
Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, underlined that these humanitarian pauses constitute neither a ceasefire nor a halt to military operations. “The fight against terror will continue,” Netanyahu stated in a public statement, stressing that the brief pauses in combat are solely for humanitarian reasons.
A spokeswoman for the Hostages Families Forum, which supports the release of Israeli hostages seized by Hamas, advised medical professionals to incorporate those currently under captivity into the immunization program. “All children’s life, even those of hostages, has to be safeguarded. Health professionals must guarantee their inclusion,” he said.
What Is the Background of the Conflict and Ongoing Crisis?
Launched in reaction to an unparalleled onslaught on southern Israel by Hamas on October 7, Israel’s military incursion in Gaza, About 1,200 people died, and 251 others were held hostages during the attack. The violence has intensified dramatically since then, causing great destruction in Gaza.
The territory’s health ministry, operated by Hamas, claims that since October 7, approximately 40,530 individuals have perished in Gaza. The fighting has also seriously interrupted access to fundamental services, including healthcare, which is why this polio vaccine program is viewed as a vital intervention to stop more suffering.
International groups expect that these humanitarian pauses will offer a fleeting break from the continuous violence and safeguard the future of Gaza’s youngsters as the vaccination campaign starts.
