UN Resumes Third Phase of Polio Vaccination Campaign in Gaza Amidst Ongoing Violence
United Nations: The third phase of the polio vaccination campaign in the Gaza Strip is set to resume on Saturday after being postponed due to escalating violence in the region. A joint statement from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a humanitarian pause has been secured for the campaign, although its geographic scope has been significantly reduced compared to previous rounds.
The current pause will now focus solely on Gaza City, leaving approximately 15,000 children under the age of 10 in parts of North Gaza—specifically Jabalya, Beit Lahiya, and Beit Hanoun—without access to the vaccine. The initial goal of the campaign was to immunize an estimated 119,000 children in northern Gaza with a second dose of the novel oral polio vaccine type 2. However, access constraints have made achieving this target increasingly unlikely.
Vaccination efforts will be carried out by 216 teams across 106 fixed sites, with 22 additional sites established to accommodate displaced populations seeking refuge. The third phase of the campaign had initially been scheduled to begin on October 23 but was delayed due to intense bombardment, mass displacement, and a lack of assured humanitarian pauses.
Louise Wateridge, spokesperson for the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), emphasized the urgent need for the campaign to proceed, warning that delays could increase the risk of polio spreading in the region. The successful implementation of the first two phases of the campaign has already reached nearly 451,200 children, or 96 percent of the target in Gaza.
As the situation remains fluid, the UN continues to advocate for the health and safety of children in Gaza, highlighting the critical importance of vaccination in preventing disease outbreaks.
