Second round of polio vaccinations to resume in Gaza

The effort will come in tandem with the WHO and UNICEF.

 A Palestinian girl is vaccinated against polio, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, September 5, 2024. (photo credit: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
A Palestinian girl is vaccinated against polio, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, September 5, 2024.
(photo credit: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

The second round of polio vaccinations will begin for children in Gaza on Saturday, Humanitarian aid agencies say.

From Saturday until Monday, the second round of polio vaccinations for children in the northern Gaza Strip will begin in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.

The campaign will be a joint effort with the IDF through COGAT and international humanitarian aid organizations. 

 A Palestinian child is vaccinated against polio, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, August 31, 2024.  (credit: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)
A Palestinian child is vaccinated against polio, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, August 31, 2024. (credit: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

Vaccination schedule delayed

In a statement, COGAT said that the "coordination will ensure that the population can safely reach medical centers where the vaccines will be administered."

The polio campaign began on Sept. 1 after the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed in August that a baby was partially paralysed by the type 2 polio virus, the first such case in the territory in 25 years.

The final phase of the campaign was intended to reach an estimated 119,000 children under 10 years old in northern Gaza with a second dose of the oral polio vaccine. However, achieving this target is now unlikely. 

COGAT said there will be an assessment upon the campaign's completion to see if the vaccination schedule will be extended. 

Reuters contributed to this report.