Gaza: Jasour – News Desk
The third round of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza will commence tomorrow. The campaign will last for three days and aims to target children under the age of ten.
The campaign is conducted in collaboration with United Nations organizations, according to “Extra News” channel.
Palestinian Minister of Health, Majed Abu Ramadan, explained that the round includes children who had previously received the vaccine in all southern governorates of the sector, as a step aimed at enhancing protection against this disease and ensuring the health of children in the region.
Vaccination campaigns in Gaza face several significant challenges:
-Access and Security: Due to ongoing conflict and security concerns, it can be difficult for families to safely bring their children to vaccination sites. Humanitarian pauses are necessary to conduct the campaigns, but these pauses are often limited in scope and duration.
– Infrastructure: The infrastructure required to keep vaccines cold, such as refrigerators and fuel, is often in short supply. This makes it challenging to maintain the cold chain necessary for the vaccines to remain effective.
– Displacement: The constant movement and displacement of people due to conflict make it difficult to reach all eligible children. Vaccination teams often have to adapt their plans to ensure they can reach as many children as possible.
-Public Health Infrastructure: Suboptimal sanitation systems and compromised public health infrastructure can contribute to the spread of diseases like polio. Interruptions in routine immunization activities can lead to lower vaccination coverage, increasing the risk of outbreaks.
– Awareness and Engagement: Ensuring that communities are aware of the vaccination efforts and the importance of getting vaccinated is crucial. Social mobilizers are often deployed to engage communities and raise awareness around vaccination efforts.
Despite these challenges, organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) continue to work tirelessly to vaccinate children and protect them from diseases like polio.
