As fighting continues in northern Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war, international aid groups have warned they have been forced to temporarily suspend ongoing polio vaccination campaigns.
After the first case in 25 years was detected in the Gaza Strip in August, organizations partnered with the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health to vaccinate more than 640,000 children under 10 in two doses. The goal was to.
The first round was completed in mid-September, and the second round began in mid-October, with a humanitarian pause to allow vaccinations. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has announced that polio vaccination efforts have been largely successful in south-central Gaza.
Read more: What you need to know about Gaza’s polio vaccination campaign after first case in 25 years
However, heavy fighting, large-scale displacement, and a lack of humanitarian access are hampering health authorities’ ability to distribute vaccines.
Gaza Field Hospital Director-General Marwan Alhams told ABC News on Tuesday that the second phase of the polio vaccination campaign could not be carried out in northern Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip, leaving 110,000 children in need of vaccination. He said he was there. Second dose.
Photo: A Palestinian child receives a polio vaccination during the second vaccination campaign during the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Deir Al-Balah, central Gaza Strip, on October 14, 2024. (Ramadan Abed/Reuters)
UNICEF says the deadline for children to receive their second dose is mid-November. If more time passes, the immunity at the time of the first vaccination will decrease rapidly.
“Hundreds of people have died and many more have been injured in the past few weeks,” said Rosalia Bolen, UNICEF communications specialist in Gaza. “Some hospitals have been attacked during the siege. So the conditions are simply not there for a second wave to be deployed in northern Gaza.”
The Ministry of Health warned on Wednesday that failure to continue the campaign could put thousands of children at risk and reverse progress in the global effort to eradicate polio.
Israeli authorities have not commented on the suspension of the polio vaccination campaign.
This comes as Israel’s legislative body, the Knesset, on Monday passed two bills that would sever ties between the Israeli government and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), effectively banning the organization from working in Israel or with Israeli authorities. This is after it was approved.
Read more: What you need to know about Gaza’s polio vaccination campaign after first case in 25 years
The first bill prohibits UNRWA from operating in Israel, including East Jerusalem. The second bill prohibits Israeli state or government agencies from cooperating or “coordinating” with UNRWA or its agents. The bill has a three-month waiting period before it takes effect and is expected to be challenged in Israel’s High Court.
Israel claimed that 19 UNRWA members took part in the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack in Israel. An independent investigation by the United Nations Internal Monitoring Service found that there was no or insufficient evidence to implicate officials in 10 cases. In the remaining nine cases, evidence was obtained that suggested staff may have been involved. UNRWA announced that it had terminated the contracts of the nine accused employees.
“UNRWA is tainted by terrorism and perpetuates the Palestinian issue, which is why the ban is necessary,” an Israeli Prime Minister’s Office official told ABC News on Wednesday.
UNRWA is the main UN agency operating within the Gaza Strip, and Israel’s decision drew strong condemnation from the UN and world leaders. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder told a news conference that the inability of UNRWA to operate would lead to the collapse of Gaza’s humanitarian system.
“UNICEF will effectively be unable to distribute life-saving supplies,” he said. “Here, I’m talking about vaccines, I’m talking about winter clothes, I’m talking about hygiene kits, health kits, water – water and hygiene RUTF for malnutrition (Ready-to- Use Therapeutic Food), and we repeat: We are knocking on the door of starvation with all kinds of nutrition, so a decision like this suddenly means a new way to kill our children has been discovered. do.”
At least 43,163 people have been killed and at least 101,510 injured in Gaza since Hamas launched a surprise terrorist attack in Israel on October 7 last year, and Israel responded by declaring war, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. . According to Israeli officials, more than 1,700 people have been killed and about 8,700 injured in Israel.
ABC News’ Jordana Miller, Dana Savia and Sami Zayara contributed to this report.
UNICEF warns of ‘collapse of humanitarian system’ as polio vaccination campaign pauses in Gaza Original article abcnews.go.com
