Gaza vaccination campaign launched to protect 44,000 children
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The World Health Organization and UNICEF have launched a Gaza vaccination campaign to immunize 44,000 children against measles, polio, and other diseases after two years of conflict.
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Palestinian children receive pentavalent vaccines in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, January 2, 2024 (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a long-delayed vaccination campaign in Gaza to protect tens of thousands of children from preventable diseases, following two years of war and severe disruption to healthcare services in Palestine.
In coordination with UNICEF, UNRWA, and the Gaza Ministry of Health, WHO announced the launch of an integrated catch-up campaign targeting 44,000 children who have missed essential immunizations due to ongoing conflict and damage to infrastructure.
"UNICEF, UNRWA, WHO and partners, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, are launching an integrated catch-up campaign for routine immunization, nutrition, and growth monitoring in the Gaza Strip to reach 44,000 children cut off from essential life-saving services by two years of conflict," WHO said in a statement.
Read more: 'The Silent Threat to Gaza': A doctor's mission to protect children
Children at risk amid declining health coverage
According to the WHO, one in five children under the age of three in Gaza has either missed some or all of their vaccination doses, leaving them at increased risk of measles, mumps, polio, and other infectious diseases.
The campaign will provide routine childhood vaccines against:
- Measles, mumps, and rubella
- Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis
- Hepatitis B and tuberculosis
- Polio, rotavirus, and pneumonia
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Rebuilding Gaza’s healthcare infrastructure
UNICEF has supplied 11 types of vaccines, syringes, and storage equipment for the campaign. Around 450 health workers have been trained, while efforts are underway to rebuild damaged health centers.
Before the conflict, Gaza operated 54 immunization facilities and had a vaccination coverage rate of 98%, among the highest globally. Today, 31 of those facilities are no longer operational due to destruction from indiscriminate attacks, and coverage has dropped to below 70%, WHO reported.
UNICEF is currently restoring 15 healthcare centers, while WHO is repairing or rebuilding 20 medical facilities that were either partially or fully destroyed.
Ceasefire opens humanitarian access
A ceasefire agreement went into effect on October 10 between "Israel" and the Palestinian Resistance group Hamas. Three days later, US President Donald Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a declaration in support of the ceasefire.
The truce has allowed limited humanitarian operations, including the rollout of this critical Gaza vaccination campaign, aimed at restoring basic children’s health services in one of the most devastated areas of Palestine.
