International groups are raising concerns after the first case of polio was confirmed and others suspected in Gaza. Aid organizations are calling for a humanitarian pause in fighting to allow for a mass polio vaccination campaign in the region. The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has urged all parties to guarantee humanitarian pauses for the campaign. The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF plan to launch two rounds of vaccinations at the end of August and September, but a seven-day humanitarian pause is needed to carry out the campaign.
Polio was eradicated 25 years ago in Gaza but vaccine coverage has dropped since the war began 10 months ago. Vaccine coverage against polio dropped from 99% to less than 90% in early 2024. The crowded conditions in Gaza, with displaced Palestinians in tent camps lacking clean water and proper sewage disposal, increase the risk of a widespread outbreak. Polio is highly contagious and can cause irreversible paralysis, particularly in young children.
Over 1.6 million doses of polio vaccine will be delivered to Gaza, with plans to vaccinate more than 600,000 children. Aid groups estimate that about 50,000 babies born since the war began have not been immunized against polio. With only a third of Gaza’s hospitals and 40% of primary healthcare facilities functioning, aid workers are concerned that the disease could be hard to contain without urgent intervention. The WHO and UNICEF are planning to carry out the vaccination campaign in every municipality in Gaza with the help of 2,700 workers. The international community is urged to support efforts to prevent a potential polio outbreak in Gaza.
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