Gaza Strip, WHO announces resumption of mass polio vaccination

In a statement, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that a mass campaign to vaccinate children against polio will resume throughout the Gaza Strip in the next few days. It is estimated that more than half a million children will benefit from the initiative. The novel oral polio vaccine 2 (nOPV2), administered to more than 591,000 children under 10 years of age, is scheduled for February 22-26, 2025. The current environment in Gaza, including overcrowded shelters and severely damaged water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure, has facilitated faecal-oral transmission and created ideal conditions for the spread of poliovirus. In addition, large-scale population movements as a result of the ongoing ceasefire are expected to exacerbate the spread of the virus. WHO conducted successful campaigns in September and October, reaching 95% of the target population. No additional polio cases have been reported since August 2024, but recent samples collected in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis in December 2024 and January 2025 confirmed poliovirus transmission.