ගාසා තීරයේ පෝලියෝ එන්නත්කරණ වැඩසටහන ඇරඹේ

Polio vaccination campaign starts in Gaza, but too late for those infected

A large-scale polio vaccination kicked off in Gaza on Sunday to prevent the spread of polio among children in the war-torn region, but it is too late for Abdul Rahman, an 11-month-old boy in Gaza, as he has been infected with the virus.

Nevin Abu Al-Jidyan lives in a refugee camp in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah with her nine children. One day she found her youngest son Abdul Rahman suddenly had fever and could not stop vomiting. She took him to a hospital and later the boy was diagnosed with polio, once one of the world's most feared diseases.

"Then I got a call from the local health authorities. They said my son is the first confirmed case of polio in Gaza (in 25 years)," said Nevin Abu Al-Jidyan.

The highly contagious poliovirus can cause paralysis and death in the unvaccinated. Though it has been largely eradicated around the world, it can still thrive in unsanitary conditions and in places where vaccination rates are not high enough, such as Gaza, which health officials have said the immunization rates were at about 99 percent as recently as 2022, but have dropped significantly among babies because of the war.

Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza in response to the attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023 by Hamas forced Nevin Abu Al-Jidyan's family to leave northern Gaza and seek shelter in a refugee camp in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah. The family is deprived of clean food and water as their makeshift tent is located next to a toilet in the refugee camp, all of which have made it easier for the virus to spread.

Polio vaccination is generally recommended to begin within a few months of birth. However, living amid war, Abdul Rahman was not so lucky. Hit by the poliovirus, the boy cannot walk, stand or even crawl.

"He is one year old on Sept. 1. Most children of his age have started to learn how to walk, but he cannot even move," said Nevin Abu Al-Jidyan.

"The vaccine is of no use for my son since he has been infected and is suffering from it now. He was supposed to live in a clean and healthy environment, but unfortunately, the war forces us to live under such harsh conditions," Nevin Abu Al-Jidyan adds.

The polio vaccination campaign kicked off in the Gaza Strip on September 01 as over two million people in the Palestinian enclave are still grappling with a severe humanitarian crisis due to the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel.

The campaign started in central Gaza, including the city of Deir al-Balah and the refugee camps of al-Nuseirat, al-Maghazi, and al-Bureij. The second phase is scheduled for Sept. 5 in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, with northern Gaza set to be covered on Sept. 9.

The Palestinian Health Ministry, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), has established vaccination centers in hospitals, clinics, schools, and shelters.

The United Nations has delivered 1.2 million doses of the oral polio vaccine, targeting approximately 640,000 children. Each child from birth to 10 years old is to receive two doses.

Israel and Hamas have agreed to pause Gaza fighting for the vaccination to take place. However, Israel has refused to implement a complete ceasefire, confirming only a humanitarian corridor for vaccination personnel and designated safe areas for vaccine administration during certain hours.

Israel continued its airstrikes on Gaza on Sunday (Sep. 01).

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