In July and November 2024, a polio vaccination campaign is scheduled to start in the Gaza Strip area with whoever did not receive the vaccine; the target this time framing two doses of mev1 OPV (mono dose). it is aimed at containing the spread of cVDPV2. The campaign, led by the Palestinian Ministry of Health and supported by WHO, UNICEF, UNRWA, and other partners will target more than 640000 children under ten years old with two drops of the new polio vaccine (nOPV2).
Two environmental samples from Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah, in July 2024 tested positive for the virus along with three children who had symptoms were reported. Jordan is now testing them out on their samples.
The World Health Organization and Unicef have called for a halt in fighting by all sides during next week’s Middle East campaign to ensure it can be conducted safely. It serves as a crucial break between families so that they can make it to a healthcare facility, and outreach workers can reach children who otherwise couldn’t be found. Not only that, but this vaccination effort cannot advance with no outlets between skirmishes.
More than 1.6 million doses of the nOPV2 vaccine, aimed at stopping circulation in cVDPV2, are expected to be delivered to Gaza˳ The vaccines, and the essential cold storage equipment to accompany them will arrive through Ben Gurion Airport by the end of August. Given the scale of any vaccination campaign and its potential impact on both public health (in terms of outbreaks, which are a major concern if there isn’t enough vaccine for everyone) and economic activity, making sure that vaccines trickle down smoothly to their destinations in time is crucial.
Some 708 teams will participate in the campaign that will be launched at hospitals, field hospitals, and primary healthcare centers across the Gaza Strip. The teams are prepared to approach all healthy children planned for immunization. Some 2,700 health workers including the mobile and community outreach teams will conduct this campaign. The public is expected to be with their assistance towards ensuring vaccination against polio also.
In any one round, at least 95 percent of children need to be properly vaccinated for the campaign to succeed and prevent polio from spreading or returning. This is of particular importance as the health, water, and sanitation systems in the Gaza Strip are already poor. The campaign, additionally, will require a certain amount of money; supplies such as fuel liters, and well-functioning communication networks to disseminate information on the vaccination process.
Children in the Gaza Strip face a disturbing new threat from one of the grim legacies of war ᅳ polio, which was eliminated 25 years ago and is now poised for an unwelcome return. Experts have been warning that the situation might arise in a matter of days, based on patterns this past October ᅳ underscoring how important it is to boost polio surveillance and vaccination efforts. Reaching a ceasefire is the ultimate public health measure for Gaza and surrounding areas so that we can proceed with this, appropriately and in full.