Israel announces entry of polio vaccine into Gaza

Jerusalem - Ma'an - The Israeli government's coordinator of government activities announced the entry of 25,100 vials of polio vaccine into the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom crossing on Sunday. The vaccines that were brought in will be sufficient for 1,255,000 people in the Gaza Strip. He added that in coordination with the Israeli government's Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories unit, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) brought into the Gaza Strip via the Kerem Shalom crossing last Friday five trucks loaded with special refrigeration equipment for the purpose of storing and transporting vaccines in Gaza. He added that in the coming days, international and local medical teams will vaccinate children who have not yet been vaccinated against polio in various locations in the Gaza Strip. The vaccination campaign will be carried out under the auspices of the international community in the Gaza Strip in coordination with the Israeli army through the Coordination of Government Activ ities in the Territories unit, within the framework of routine periods of temporary cessation of military activity for humanitarian purposes that will allow residents to reach medical centers where the vaccines will be provided. He pointed out that since the outbreak of the war, 282,126 vials of polio vaccine have been brought into the Strip via the Kerem Shalom crossing, in coordination with the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories Unit, for 2,821,260 people. This is in addition to coordinating the entry of vaccine doses to prevent diseases and epidemics in Gaza, including the replacement of international medical teams active in the Strip. He said that the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories unit conducts in-depth situation assessments twice a week with the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in order to understand the situation in the Strip in terms of the spread of the epidemic. In addition, speci al meetings are held to provide vaccinations to the population in the Gaza Strip in cooperation with USAID. It is noteworthy that according to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 90% of the population of Gaza received the polio vaccine during the first quarter of 2024. Source: Maan News Agency