Gaza Strip —(Map)
Health care workers have begun a huge effort to vaccinate children in Gaza against polio. The effort comes as the area faces a polio outbreak for the first time in 25 years. The vaccination drive is being made possible by short breaks in the fighting between Israel and Hamas.
Polio
Polio is a terrible disease that can paralyze and even kill. Not everyone has a strong reaction to the viruses that cause polio. Because many people don’t even realize they have it, polio can spread easily.
Vaccines against polio were first developed in the 1950s, and they have worked so well that polio cases have fallen by 99% since 1988. Because polio usually affects children under five, the vaccine is usually given when children are young.
In early October of last year, the militant Palestinian group Hamas, which is based in Gaza, surprised Israel with a large, violent attack. Around 1,200 people were killed, and roughly 250 people were taken prisoner. About 100 people are still missing and some are believed to be dead.
In response, Israel’s military quickly began using jets to attack the Gaza Strip, flattening buildings. Since that time, Israel has continued to pound Gaza with bombs, and has sent its soldiers all through Gaza. Civilians living in Gaza have been forced to leave their homes, and to move over and over again as Israel focuses its war on different parts of the country. Hundreds of thousands of the 2.3 million people in Gaza are now living in rough camps.
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Since the start of the war, around 40,000 Palestinians have been killed, many of them civilians. As many as 4,000 of those killed were children. Israel has limited the supplies that can reach Gaza. For months and months, the people in Gaza have not had enough food, water, fuel, or medicine. The health care system in the area has largely been destroyed.
Before last October, about 99% of the children in Gaza had been vaccinated against polio. But because of the war, the rate of children who are vaccinated against polio has dropped sharply.
Last month, doctors discovered the first case of polio in Gaza in 25 years. An 11-month-old boy was infected by the virus. His mother says he is now paralyzed. Several other children are also believed to have polio. Because of the terrible conditions in Gaza, there are serious concerns that the disease could spread rapidly.
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The United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are working together to vaccinate children in Gaza. They plan to vaccinate about 640,000 children under the age of 10.
Because of the war, it has been difficult to set up a vaccination program. But Israel has agreed to not attack certain areas for 8 hours a day for three days so that doctors can vaccinate children. Israel is also allowing health care workers to come into Gaza to help with the vaccinations.
There are many challenges to the vaccination effort. The vaccines need to be kept cold, but there is little electricity in Gaza. Because of blocked roads and dangerous areas, it’s difficult for many families to get to the clinics.
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Still, the efforts are having some success. The first vaccinations took place in central Gaza on Sunday. Workers from the WHO and the UN began vaccinating children at around 160 sites, including schools, tents, and mobile clinics. The UN agency UNRWA reported that 87,000 children got vaccines on Sunday.
The UNRWA calls the vaccination effort a “race against time”.
Did You Know…?
The polio vaccine is taken by mouth, and children need two doses. That means a second round of vaccines will need to be given in about a month.
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