WHO Chief Urges Protection of Health Teams Ahead of Polio Vaccination in Gaza
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Director General of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for the protection of polio vaccination teams in Gaza, stressing their need to operate safely as a crucial vaccination campaign is set to begin on Sunday.
"We urge all parties to ensure their protection, and that of health facilities and children," Tedros stated in a social media post ahead of the campaign's launch.
His call came during a week marked by Israeli violence, including an airstrike that killed four security staff with an aid convoy and an incident where a vehicle belonging to the United Nations' World Food Program was struck by Israeli gunfire near a checkpoint.
Earlier today, the director of American Near East Refugee Aid (Anera) based in the US told Al Jazeera that Israeli forces provided no prior warning or communication before attacking the lead vehicle in their aid convoy, resulting in the deaths of four Palestinians on Thursday.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has pledged $5 million to support the emergency polio vaccination campaign in Gaza, as reported by its official WAM news agency.
Polio, eradicated from the Gaza Strip over 25 years ago, has resurfaced following the disruption of childhood vaccination efforts due to Israel's bombardment and siege, which also destroyed essential water and sanitation facilities.
The plan aims to vaccinate 640,000 children under the age of 10, with 1.26 million doses already delivered to Gaza to ensure each child receives two doses, four weeks apart.
A team of 2,700 health workers, coordinated by Gaza's Ministry of Health alongside WHO, UNICEF, UNRWA, and other organizations, will administer the vaccines.
The initial phase of the vaccination rollout is planned during a three-day "humanitarian pause" from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., although WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus insists that only a ceasefire can adequately protect the health of Gaza's children.
Before the war, Gaza had a 99% vaccination rate against polio and had gone 25 years without any cases. However, a 10-month-old Palestinian baby named Abdel-Rahman has recently become partially paralyzed due to polio.
