BERLIN (Reuters) – A polio vaccination campaign in north Gaza has been postponed due to Israeli bombardments, mass displacement and lack of access, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.
This final phase, due to begin on Wednesday, aimed to vaccinate more than 119,000 children in the Palestinian enclave under siege for over a year in response to militant group Hamas’ attacks on Israel.
“The current conditions, including ongoing attacks on civilian infrastructure, continue to jeopardize people’s safety and movement in northern Gaza, making it impossible for families to safely bring their children for vaccination, and health workers to operate,” the U.N. agency said in a statement, reiterating its call for a ceasefire.
The polio campaign began on Sept. 1 after the WHO confirmed in August that a baby was partially paralysed by the type 2 polio virus, the first such case in the territory in 25 years.
Delays in a second dose for children could jeopardise efforts to halt transmission. “This could also lead to further spread of poliovirus in the Gaza Strip and neighbouring countries, with the risk of more children being paralysed,” the agency said.
On Tuesday, the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency called for a temporary truce to allow departures from areas of north Gaza, where it said “people are just waiting to die” after three weeks of Israeli attacks.
(Writing by Miranda Murray, Editing by Rachel More and Matthias Williams)
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