Ambitious Polio Vaccination Campaign Launched Amid Gaza Conflict

The UN and partners have launched a polio vaccination campaign targeting 640,000 Palestinian children in Gaza, amid a devastating war that destroyed the healthcare system. Despite challenges like damaged infrastructure and security concerns, the campaign aims to administer two rounds of oral polio vaccine to children under 10.

A coordinated campaign by the UN health agency and partners to vaccinate 640,000 Palestinian children in Gaza against polio began Sunday, despite a war that has decimated the region's healthcare system. The campaign follows the first polio case reported in Gaza in 25 years.

The World Health Organization, warning of possible undetected cases, fears there could be hundreds of asymptomatic infections. The presence of one paralysis case, a 10-month-old boy, indicates the severity of the outbreak.

The vaccination campaign faces significant hurdles amid Gaza's war-ravaged infrastructure. WHO confirmed an agreement with Israel for limited pauses in fighting to facilitate the vaccination effort. Around 1.3 million doses of the vaccine have been transported and stored properly, with another 400,000 doses on the way.

(With inputs from agencies.)