Polio outbreak in Gaza: Vaccination campaign

The health situation in Gaza continues to worsen. With forced evacuations increasing since mid-August, a case of poliovirus has been detected – the first in 25 years. 640,000 Gazans between the ages of 6 months and 10 years must be vaccinated as quickly as possible. Doctors of the World is leading an emergency response.

Polio is an extremely contagious viral infection, often linked to a lack of clean water and poor sanitation, which can cause paralysis in children and death.

Doctors of the World have carried out over 3,500 vaccinations against type 1 and 3 polio, diphtheria, and tetanus, since May 2024. Vaccinations against type 2 polio began this week. Our teams were able to vaccinate 1,610 children in a single day.

On Sunday, Israel implemented humanitarian pauses to launch a vaccination campaign. While these pauses do allow vaccinations to happen, they are insufficient to fully protect the Gazan population.

The shortage of medical supplies threatens to halt essential services (emergency care, surgeries, intensive care…), endangering the lives of patients and the wounded.

A lasting ceasefire is the one and only solution.