More than 550,000 Gazan children got first polio vaccine dose in 'joyful scene'
More than a half million children in Gaza have received a first dose of polio vaccine, the WHO said Thursday.
More than a half-million children in Gaza have received a first dose of the polio vaccine, the World Health Organization said Thursday.
“We reached an enormous amount of children in this short time,” Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO’s representative for the West Bank and Gaza, said during a media briefing.
So far, Peeperkorn said, 552,451 kids received the oral drops of the polio vaccine during brief moments of humanitarian pause in the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Additional vaccines were being given on Thursday, the last day of the campaign.
While it’s impossible to maintain accurate records of every child in Gaza as most have been displaced, Peeperkorn said his team is “confident” that they were able to hit their target of vaccinating at least 90% of children under age 10.
He praised families for actively seeking out the vaccines. “Everywhere the team has gone, parents are doing all they can to ensure their child does not miss vaccination,” Peeperkorn said.
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