6-hour daily ceasefire in Gaza allows for Polio vaccination drive

Gaza's first Polio case in 25 Years sparks an urgent vaccination effort. Here's what you need to know.

The first case of polio in 25 years has been confirmed in Gaza, where the disease has resurfaced due to severely damaged infrastructure, and limited access to clean water and proper sanitation.

The ten month-long conflict has severely compromised Gaza’s healthcare system, leading to a sharp decline in childhood vaccinations, which has created the conditions for the outbreak.

In response to several confirmed cases, including a baby left partially paralyzed, the World Health Organization (WHO) and other agencies have mobilized a large-scale vaccination campaign. They aim to vaccinate more than 640,000 children under the age of 10. 

Israel and Hamas agreed to a six-hour daily pause in fighting after a call for a humanitarian ceasefire by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, enabling WHO to launch a three-day plan to vaccinate 90% of the targeted children to keep the disease from spreading. As of midweek, over 187,000 children had been vaccinated, exceeding the initial goal of 157,000. 

While the ceasefire offers a brief window for humanitarian work, the limited time frames continue to pose significant challenges. Given polio’s highly infectious nature, successful vaccination is essential to contain the disease. Failure to do so could result in a wider spread, both within Gaza and potentially beyond its borders into Israel and the broader Middle East. 

Dr. Richard Peeperkorn, WHO Representative for Gaza, praised the cooperation during the vaccination drive and expressed hope that this momentum will continue. Effective action now is critical, he said, not only to combat this polio outbreak but to prevent future health crises in the region.