WHO hopes to start second polio vaccination drive in Gaza on Oct 14

UNICEF on Thursday said that humanitarian pauses have been agreed upon to commence a second round of polio vaccination in Gaza.

The World Health Organisation has said that the vaccination drive will begin on October 14 and children under the age of 10 will be eligible for the campaign.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said, “Area-specific humanitarian pauses have been agreed. It is critical that these pauses are respected by all parties. Without them, it is impossible to vaccinate the children.”

In August, Gaza reported its first confirmed case of polio in 25 years. The WHO is anxious to prevent an epidemic of variant type 2 polio virus (cVDPV2), after it was detected in a 10-month-old baby in Gaza in August.

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In a bid to prevent an epidemic of the highly infectious viral disease, the United Nations’ health agency launched a mass vaccination campaign effort in the territory on September 1, aiming to administer an initial oral dose of vaccine to more than 640,000 children under 10.

The first campaign was held in September, with the WHO chief saying that the target for vaccinations was “successfully met.” The two doses of polio vaccination must be administered within a span of four weeks to prevent the spread of the virus.

While the first drive was touted as successful, the process of vaccinating children in Gaza went through a couple of rough patches. A United Nations convoy carrying polio vaccination workers was held at gunpoint at an Israeli military checkpoint on September 9, shots were fired and its vehicles were rammed by a bulldozer.

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With inputs from AFP