Limited 'humanitarian pauses' in Gaza for polio vaccination, says WHO

Campaign will start in central Gaza on September 1

Vaccinations will take place over a three-day period to begin with, between the hours of 6am and 3pm, the WHO said. Unicef

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The World Health Organisation has secured “a preliminary commitment for area-specific humanitarian pauses” in Gaza to allow UN health officials to administer polio vaccinations, it said on Thursday.

The debilitating disease that mainly affects young children has resurfaced in the Palestinian territory after 25 years after vaccination rates plunged during almost 11 months of war between Israel and Hamas.

“The way we discussed and agreed, the campaign will start on September 1, in central Gaza, for three days, and there will be a humanitarian pause during the vaccinations,” said Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO representative for the Palestinian territories.

That will be followed by another three-day pause in southern Gaza, then another in the north, but more days may be needed to complete the vaccination programmes, Mr Peeperkorn said.

Polio can be spread through contaminated water and sewage, a problem in Gaza where access to cleaning supplies and fresh water is limited. AP

The WHO said the pauses will occur between 6am and 3pm on the agreed on days.

Mr Peeperkorn said the aim is to vaccinate 640,000 children under the age of 10 and that the campaign has been co-ordinated with Israeli authorities.

“I’m not going to say this is the ideal way forward but this is a workable way forward,” he said. “It will happen and should happen because we have an agreement.”

The pauses are not the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that mediators from the US, Egypt and Qatar have been seeking, including in talks that are taking place this week.

An Israeli official said a tactical pause is expected to allow for vaccinations. The Israeli army has previously announced pauses in limited areas to allow for international humanitarian operations.

Mr Peeperkorn said the campaigns are being planned in close collaboration with aid agencies, Gaza's Health Ministry and other agencies.

"So let's say, here in Gaza, everyone is on board. We've had these discussions with Israeli authorities ... where we have agreed to what we call humanitarian policies for each zone, three days."

A Hamas official told Reuters that the group would co-operate with international organisations during the campaign.

Cogat, the Israeli military's humanitarian unit, said in a post on X that the vaccination campaign would be conducted in co-ordination with the army “as part of the routine humanitarian pauses that will allow the population to reach the medical centres where the vaccinations will be administered”.

It added that 25,100 vials of polio vaccine have been taken in for 1,255,000 people, and hygiene equipment and further logistical equipment would be allowed into Gaza.

"The current outbreak in Gaza is a stark reminder of how quickly infectious diseases can re-emerge where health systems are compromised," Dr Matthew Ryan, of the WHO, said in a UN Security Council meeting on the Middle East.

"Many other diseases are spreading, while our collective capacities to prevent, detect and respond to them continue to be hindered.

Baby is first polio case in Gaza for 25 years

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"We stress the critical importance for all parties to adhere to the commitments that have been made. The world cannot stand by as Gaza's health system crumbles under the wave of this conflict.”

He added: “The international community must act now to secure humanitarian pauses, ensure the delivery of critical health supplies and support the rapid implementation of the polio vaccination campaign."

Dr Ryan stressed that three days may not be enough to complete the vaccination campaign. saying that vaccination coverage will continue to be monitored "and it has been agreed that vaccination will be extended by one day wherever necessary".

Polio is highly infectious and most often spread through sewage and contaminated water – an increasingly common problem in Gaza with much of the territory's infrastructure destroyed by Israel in its war against Hamas.

The disease mainly affects children under the age of five. It can cause deformities and paralysis, and can be fatal.

The WHO confirmed on August 23 that at least one baby has been paralysed by the Type 2 polio virus.

Agencies and Patrick deHahn contributed to this report