The second round of the emergency polio vaccination campaign is scheduled to begin in Gaza on October 14, 2024, with an estimated 591,700 children under the age of 10 receiving doses of the new oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) vaccine. The second vaccination will be given.
This is according to independently conducted post-campaign monitoring, in which the first round was conducted from September 1 to 12, 2024, reaching 559,161 children, i.e., targeted children at the district level. This follows an estimated 95% vaccination coverage. Similar to the first round, the second round will have three phases, each containing three campaign days and one catch-up day.
At least two doses of nOPV2 are required to stop poliovirus infection. However, this will only be achieved if at least 90% of all children in all communities and neighborhoods are vaccinated. In this round, vitamin A will be administered in conjunction with the polio vaccine to boost overall immunity in children aged 2 to 9 years.
The campaign is part of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), and other partners. . Overview of emergency efforts to contain the polio outbreak in Gaza detected on 16 July 2024 and prevent further spread of poliovirus.
Once again, careful planning, coordination and implementation will see an extensive network of teams administering vaccinations at selected health facilities and outreach posts. Mobile teams actively contact families living in IDP shelters, tents and camps. Local teams will be deployed to areas that need special coordination to reach children, including those who were not vaccinated in the first round. In the first round, if all parties respect the planned humanitarian pause, the overwhelming logistical challenges, including operating amidst devastated infrastructure and constant population movements, will be met with extraordinary It has proven to be overcome with resilience, dedicated health workers and strong community demand for polio vaccination.
More than 800 social workers will be contacting families to raise awareness about the importance, date and location of the second dose. Radio spots, Short Message Service (SMS) and all digital channels available in Gaza will also amplify these messages. This outreach will continue until the end of the round.
Additionally, logistical and programmatic needs are being addressed for the second round, including training health and community workers, providing adequate supplies, recording data with independent monitors, and demarcating areas covered by mobile teams. Streamlined.
In the past two months, 1.6 million doses of vaccine have been delivered, as well as 20 refrigerators, 10 freezers, 100 iceboxes and 800 vaccine trucks to cover two doses. All these equipment are necessary to maintain the vaccine at a temperature of 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. ℃.
Again, the humanitarian moratorium is in place, especially to ensure that all polio workers can work in a safe and secure environment, and that communities and families can vaccinate their children without fear. , is a prerequisite for the successful implementation of the second round.
Substantive constraints on polio control will once again affect children living outside humanitarian moratorium areas, which were not addressed in the previous round. This requires coordination and approval to enable oversight and monitoring of the program, which will go a long way in ensuring that all children are vaccinated, regardless of location.
WHO and UNICEF reiterate their urgent call to all parties to the conflict to implement the necessary humanitarian pause in Gaza for this second round. This is particularly important as new evacuation orders in northern Gaza threaten access to hospitals, health facilities, and the protection of health and community workers. Vaccination teams must be protected and allowed to carry out campaigns safely. We urge all stakeholders to ensure the protection of themselves, health facilities and children.
Editor’s note
In Gaza, circulation was observed in six environmental samples in July 2024, in a 10-month-old paralyzed child in July 2024, and in another five environmental samples collected on September 5, 2024. A mutant poliovirus type 2 has been confirmed.
More information about the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and daily updates on epidemic response campaigns can be found on the initiative’s website. Scroll down the page to see the list of countries affected by polio and click on Occupied Palestine Territories.
