The Ministry of Health announced in a statement that the plan will begin in the coming days in the coastal sector to vaccinate about 740,000 children under the age of ten with the help of several United Nations agencies.
He explained that for this purpose, about 400 fixed and mobile vaccination centers have been established, which will allow the provision of up to 1.7 million doses in two rounds with an interval of four weeks.
The ministry called on the United Nations and the international community to work to stop the Israeli military campaign in those territories to give the besieged population a chance and facilitate the campaign.
Yesterday, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, called for an immediate ceasefire, because delaying the truce, he said, “would increase the risk of the spread of polio.”
The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned the day before of the danger of polio to the children of Gaza.
Our organization, in cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund and the Palestinian health authorities, is working to implement two rounds of polio vaccination in the coming weeks in order to stop the transmission of the infection, as confirmed by the social network X.
Dozens of international organizations this week joined the United Nations’ call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza in order to boost the vaccination campaign against the disease.
Any ceasefire or pause requested by the United Nations should be used to facilitate full humanitarian access, not just for vaccines, but for the full range of assistance needed to meet the basic needs of civilians, they said in a joint statement.
They condemned that “the resurgence of polio in Gaza is a direct result of the destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure, and the restrictions imposed by the Israeli government on repairs and supplies.”
They added that this was in addition to the overcrowding, forced displacement of people, and the health system, which is paralyzed by destruction and lack of supplies.
The statement was signed by Save the Children, MedGlobal, ActionAid, the Norwegian Refugee Council, Action Against Hunger, Oxfam, and many medical institutions from various fields.
Omani Rial/Rub
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