Polio Vaccination Campaign in Gaza Concluded, With Participation of 557,000 Children

The polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip, which lasted for 12 days, has concluded in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The director of preventive medicine at the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza, Dr. Majdi Dhair said in an interview with Qatar News Agency that the campaign covered 557,000 children from infants to 10 years. According to the director of the preventive medicine, the number of vaccinated children in Gaza and the North Governorates reached 111,000, while in the Central Governorate it totaled 190,000. In the Khan Younis and Rafah Governorates, the number reached 256,000. Dhair confirmed that they are in the process of preparing for the second phase of the vaccination campaign, which will take place in four weeks, in accordance with the established health system. The vaccination process faced difficulties and challenges due to the ongoing genocide on the Gaza Strip, but they managed to overcome them, Dhair added. He expressed hope that the Ministry of Health will be able to eradicate the polio virus completely, after cases were discovered in Gaza's displacement centers. On Aug. 31, the Ministry of Health in Gaza, along with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), WHO and UNICEF announced during a press conference the launch of a polio vaccination campaign for children under the age of 10. Source: Qatar News Agency