Gaza Polio vaccination drive has reached 600,000 children: Who

An action to vaccinate poliomyelitis in Gaza reached over 600,000 children, the head of the World Health Organization said on Thursday, saying that an end allowed children who were previously missed to receive a dose.

After the disease reappeared in Gaza for the first time in over 20 years, paralyzing a 10 -month -old child in August last year, two vaccination rounds took place in September and October.

They reached more than 95 percent of the children concerned, with the two necessary doses of oral vaccine.

But the environmental samples on two sites, collected in December 2024 and January 2025, discovered that the poliovirus was still circulating.

An cessation of fire between Israel and Hamas started on January 19, and a new vaccination campaign targeting 591,000 children under 10 was launched on Saturday with 1,600 vaccination teams and over 1,200 “social mobilizers”.

The five-day campaign ended on Wednesday, reaching 602,795 children under 10, which Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared X.

“The cessation of fire allowed them to reach more children than during previous 2024 vaccination rounds, including children who could have been missed due to population movement and those who were not untouched because of uncertainty,” he said.

“The conclusion is swinging on the full vaccination of each last child and ensuring uninterrupted access to safe water, sewerage and hygiene and adequate nutrition. But the drug of all children in Gaza is a sustainable peace.”

Poliovirus, most often widespread by sewerage and contaminated water, is extremely infectious and potentially fatal.

It can cause deformation and paralysis and mainly affects children under five.

The first three days of the vaccination campaign reached almost 548,000 children, Tuesday and Wednesday, used to catch.