WHO Claims To Reach Early Target Of Children's Polio Vaccination In Gaza Strip

Vaccination for polio in the Gaza Strip, Palestine. (Source: Twitter/@DrTedros)

JAKARTA - The World Health Organization (WHO) said it had exceeded its initial target of polio vaccination in the Gaza Strip, Palestine on Tuesday, the third day of mass campaigns, successfully vaccinated about a quarter of children under the age of 10.

The campaign, which accelerated after the discovery of the first polio case of a Gaza baby last month, relies on an eight-hour gap every day in fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in certain areas of the surrounded Palestinian enclave.

WHO representatives for occupied Palestinian territory Rik Peeperkorn told reporters it had vaccinated more than 161,000 children under the age of 10 in the central region in the first two days of vaccination campaigns, compared to a projected 150,000.

That means about a quarter of the total population targeted by the campaign to stop the spread of the disease, which can cause paralysis to death in small children.

"Until now everything has gone well," he said.

"This jeda kemanusiaan, sejauh ini berhasil. Kita masih punya 10 hari lagi," lanjutnya.

He further explained, after this the health team will move to southern Gaza later this week, where they are targeting to reach about 340,000 children.

He said some children in southern Gaza were expected to be outside the agreed zone for the pause, with negotiations continuing to reach them.

Earlier, the WHO said at least 90 percent of Gaza's children needed to be vaccinated for the campaign to succeed and to prevent the spread of polio, both in Gaza and across borders.