Geneva — The World Health Organization will send more than one million polio vaccines to war-torn Gaza after the virus was detected in wastewater there, the UN agency’s chief said Wednesday.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference that health workers need freedom of movement in Gaza to administer the vaccines, saying that a cease-fire or at least a few days of calm, was essential to protect Gaza’s children.
“WHO is sending more than 1 million polio vaccines which will be administered in the coming weeks,” he said.
On July 30, the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza declared the Palestinian territory to be a “polio epidemic zone,” blaming the reappearance of the virus on Israel’s military offensive since the October 7 Hamas attacks and the resulting destruction of health facilities.
The ministry said the CPV2 strain of the virus was detected in wastewater samples taken in the Khan Yunis region in the south of the strip, as well as in areas of central Gaza.
The war was triggered by Hamas’ unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,198 people, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 39,677 people, according to the health ministry, which does not break out civilian and militant deaths.
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