According to WHO, a higher number of children in Gaza have received polio vaccinations than initially anticipated.
The vaccination initiative commenced on a Sunday within the heavily populated Gaza Strip. The World Health Organization (WHO) had predicted approximately 156,500 children younger than ten required vaccination. However, as per Peeperkorn's claims, the WHO had miscalculated the population in Gaza Strip.
Due to the insistence from the WHO, Israel consented to temporary ceasefires in their conflict against the radical Islamic Hamas to administer polio vaccinations to over 640,000 children in Gaza Strip. This was the first occurrence of infant paralysis in the Gaza Strip in a quarter of a century.
The initial phase of the vaccination program will carry on for an additional ten days, revealed the WHO spokesperson. It will proceed in the southern portion of Gaza Strip from Thursday, where approximately 340,000 kids will be inoculated against polio. Later, around 150,000 children in the northern Gaza Strip will receive the vaccination.
A minimum of 90% of the children in Gaza Strip are aimed to be safeguarded against polio through vaccination, to discourage the spread of the disease. The second dose of the oral vaccine should be given four weeks following the initial dose. Children ranging from a single day old to ten years will be immunized.
Poliomyelitis, the medical term for infant paralysis, is caused by a swift and infectious malady-bringing virus that assaults the spinal cord and can induce permanent paralysis in children.
The conflict in the Gaza Strip was initiated by Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups' massive attack on sites in southern Israel on October 7. As per Israeli reports, the Islamists led to the demise of 1205 individuals and the capture of 251 hostages into the Gaza Strip during the intense assault.
In retaliation to the Hamas incursion, Israel has been executing extensive military procedures in the Gaza Strip for almost eleven months. According to Hamas health authorities, who cannot be independently confirmed, more than 40,800 individuals have perished since then. According to the United Nations, the majority of the deceased are women and children.
I had already expressed my concerns about the WHO's population estimate before the vaccination program began. After the initial phase, I will again advocate for vaccination in the northern Gaza Strip, as I've already seen its effectiveness in protecting children.
