UNICEF IS SET to deliver a two-round polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip during humanitarian pauses from 1 September. 

Last week, the first case of polio in Gaza in 25 years was recorded as a ten-month-old baby was paralysed due to the disease. 

During each round of the campaign, the Palestinian Ministry of Health (MOH), in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF, alongside other partners, will provide two drops of an oral polio vaccine to more than 640,000 children under ten years of age, UNICEF said in a statement. 

In July, WHO warned that the polio virus was detected in wastewater samples in Gaza, and the Israeli military began to vaccinate its soldiers operating in Gaza as a result. 

Poliovirus is highly infectious and mainly affects children under the age of five, causing deformities and paralysis, and is potentially fatal. 

Yesterday, Israel agreed to at least three days of “humanitarian pauses” in Gaza to allow for the administration of vaccines against the disease. 

Over 2180 health workers and community outreach workers have been trained to provide vaccination and inform communities about the campaign, with 1.26 million doses of vaccines and 500 vaccine carriers having been delivered to Gaza. A total of 400,000 additional vaccine doses are to arrive in Gaza soon.

“At leat 90 percent vaccination coverage during each round of the campaign is needed to stop the outbreak and prevent international spread of polio,” UNICEF said in a statement this afternoon.

It reiterated its call for a ceasefire, “to enable the rebuilding of the health Systemj and strengthening of routine immunisation”. 

“We call on all parties to pause fighting to allow children and families to safely access health facilities and community outreach workers to get to children who cannot access health facilities for polio vaccination.”

The campaign is to be delivered in a phased approach over three days each, starting with Central Gaza followed by South Gaza, and then North Gaza.