Medical sources in the Gaza Strip reported that the first batch of polio vaccine was delivered to the Strip on Monday morning, August 26. 1.26 million doses of the vaccine were placed in special warehouses and the vaccination will be carried out among children in the Gaza Strip under the auspices of UNICEF.
The danger of a polio epidemic in the Gaza Strip has been discussed for some time, after elevated levels of vaccine-derived poliovirus were found in wastewater. This means that one or more people who had been vaccinated against polio had spread the virus into the environment.
About a week ago, the Gaza Strip recorded its first case of polio: a 10-month-old child in the city of Dir al-Balah was diagnosed with the disease. According to the WHO, this is the first confirmed case of polio in the Gaza Strip in 25 years.
The first batch of polio vaccine delivered to the Gaza Strip contains 1.26 million doses, with another 365,000 doses due to arrive in the coming days.
The vaccination campaign is to target 640,000 children in the Gaza Strip, with the vaccine intended for children up to 10 years of age, and each child to receive two doses.