UNITED NATIONS, October 16 (IPS) – The next round of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza, a major undertaking by health partners, began on October 14, as persistent attacks and hardships undermine health care and humanitarian systems.
This Monday, October 14 marked the beginning of the second round of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza. This follows the success of the first round of vaccination, which began on September 1-12 and ended up vaccinating more than 559,161 children ten years of age or younger. The second round of vaccination will provide an estimated 591,700 children with the second important dose of the nOPV2 vaccine.
The United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have urged Israeli authorities to slow down, allowing vaccination efforts to proceed smoothly. However, ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip have threatened to hamper relief efforts and put the lives of aid workers at risk.
“We cannot vaccinate children under a sky full of bombs. All those involved in this conflict must respect the people’s permission to allow the implementation of this campaign”, said the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near. East (UNRWA).
On Monday, the UN reported airstrikes on a school-turned-shelter in Nuseirat and a hospital yard in Deir Al-Balah, which ended up burning several tents. Photos and video footage shared by UNRWA showed aid workers searching through debris for survivors, as well as removing charred bodies from tents. About 20 people died in the attack and vaccination efforts at the school were halted.
“We survived miraculously, the fire is burning everywhere, even the tent we were sleeping in was burnt. This is one of the incidents we have had at night in the Gaza Strip. These are just shelters, they are just trying to find a place to sleep, I am trying to find safety in the Gaza strip where there is none,” said Louise Waterridge, UNRWA spokesperson.
Repeated evacuation orders issued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have also put a strain on vaccination efforts. Muhannad Hadi, the UN’s top aid official in the occupied Palestinian Territory, confirmed that more than 50,000 people have been expelled from the Jabaliya camp due to evacuation orders on October 7, 9, and 12.
According to the World Food Program (WFP), the most difficult areas to vaccinate are the northern regions of Gaza, where the delivery of food has been suspended since October 1. It has stopped the delivery of essential services.
Despite these many access challenges, the second round of polio vaccination is off to a promising start. In a statement by UNRWA, it was confirmed that about 93,000 children under the age of ten have been vaccinated so far. About 43 percent of children reached received a second dose of nOPV2, as well as a dose of vitamin A to increase overall immunity. Like the first round of this campaign, the second round will consist of three phases, targeting the northern, southern, and central areas of Gaza. Each phase is scheduled to last three days plus an additional day of catch-up.
About 1,000 aid workers have been mobilized to assist in vaccination efforts and educational services. Additionally, an assessment was conducted by the UN to determine the level of needs following Monday’s attack on Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah. Tents, blankets, clothing, baby items, hygiene items and food are urgently needed.
WFP has distributed the last of their food in the north, where the hunger crisis has worsened in the past two weeks. Canned food, high-energy biscuits, and nutritional supplements were distributed to displacement camps, bakeries, medical centers, and kitchens. It is not known how long these supplies will last as aid restrictions continue to tighten in northern Gaza.
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