Israel agrees to pause fighting in Gaza to vaccinate children

According to the United Nations (UN) and Israeli officials, Tel Aviv has agreed to pause fighting in Gaza in September to allow children in the area to receive polio vaccinations.

Gaza children receive polio vaccine. Photo: WHO

According to CNN, Rik Peeperkorn, the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the West Bank and Gaza, the ceasefire will begin on September 1 and will be divided into three phases, each phase one day from 6am to 3pm. The ceasefire will be implemented first in central Gaza, then southern Gaza and finally northern Gaza.

COGAT, the Israeli body responsible for approving aid to Gaza, declined to provide further details on how the vaccine would be distributed. Basem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political committee, said the militant group welcomed the pause in fighting in Gaza to allow for the vaccination campaign and pledged to cooperate with international organizations to ensure its success.

Since the war in Gaza began, the overall polio vaccination rate in Gaza has dropped to just over 80 percent. According to the United Nations, more than 90 percent vaccination coverage is needed to prevent an outbreak in the Palestinian territory. WHO officials are concerned that the deadline may not be enough to reach the full vaccination target, but hope that the campaign will be extended by a day in each area, or even more, if necessary.

The resurgence of polio, which has been eradicated in most developed countries, has highlighted the hardships facing Gaza’s 2 million residents. Many in the enclave lack food, medical supplies and clean water; 90% of the population was displaced from their homes after Israel launched a military offensive in October 2023.

The WHO campaign aims to vaccinate around 640,000 children under the age of 10 against polio, with each child receiving two doses. 1.26 million doses of vaccine and 500 boxes of vaccine have been delivered to Gaza. Polio mainly affects children under the age of 5 and can cause irreversible paralysis and even death. According to the WHO, the disease can only be prevented through vaccination.

KHANH MINH

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/israel-agrees-to-stop-tranh-o-gaza-de-tiem-ngua-vaccine-cho-tre-em-post756427.html