The UAE President, HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, has directed funding for the delivery of a critical polio vaccination drive in the Gaza Strip after the re-emergence of the virus in the territory. The campaign is set to be supported by a pledge of $5 million.
The 2-round polio eradication campaign is the need of the hour in the besieged enclave. It is said that at least 90% vaccination coverage is required during each round to prevent the spread of polio, given the displacement, almost inundated camps and lack of sanitation.
The initiative is set to offer more than 640,000 children under the age of 10 a couple of doses of the polio vaccine, in an effort to stop the proliferation of the virus and prevent a broader regional outbreak, as per media reports.
Gaza polio vaccine drive amid area-specific humanitarian pauses
The vaccination drive starts on September 1 – beginning in Central Gaza and then moving to South and then North Gaza. Each phase is expected to continue for three days during area-specific humanitarian pauses, to enable families to access health facilities.
Some 1.26 million doses of the polio vaccine have already been delivered to the Gaza Strip in preparation for distribution – and another 400,000 doses are due to arrive soon. Thousands of health personnel are getting ready to support the delivery of both rounds of the drive.
Planning for the vaccination campaign began after the detection of the poliovirus in the enclave in July 2024. Experts confirmed this month that at least one child there has been paralysed by the variant type 2 poliovirus, the first such case in the territory in 25 years.
UAE at the forefront of humanitarian operations in Gaza
Under the direction of HH Sheikh Mohamed, the UAE has been at the forefront of humanitarian operations in Gaza. The Gulf state has established six desalination plans in Rafah, Egypt. They have a capacity of 1.6 million gallons per day.
Besides delivering more than 40,000 tonnes of urgent supplies, the UAE has also established a field hospital in southern Gaza, and a floating hospital in Egypt. Scores of Palestinian children and cancer patients are also being treated in Emirati hospitals.
The brutal Israel-Hamas fighting erupted on October 7 as Hamas militants launched an attack on Israeli cities, killing some 1,200 people and taking several others hostages. Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Gaza, on the other hand, have already claimed over 40,600 lives.
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