The World Health Organization (WHO) has requested a “humanitarian pause” in Gaza to facilitate a mass polio vaccination campaign.
In a joint statement with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), WHO emphasized that seven-day pauses in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas would enable “children and families to safely reach health facilities.”
READ ALSO: 55 countries face health worker crunch linked to COVID-19 — WHO
Authorities plan to immunize over 640,000 children in Gaza through two rounds of vaccination scheduled for late August and September. The statement highlighted that without these humanitarian pauses, the vaccination effort could not proceed effectively.
The WHO’s request follows the recent development of paralysis symptoms in three children in Gaza, a typical sign of polio infection. Although poliovirus has been found in wastewater samples, no confirmed cases have been reported.
Polio, a disease transmitted through fecal-oral contamination, can cause severe paralysis and death in its most extreme cases. While the virus has been largely eradicated in many regions worldwide, the current situation underscores the urgent need for vaccination in Gaza.
