UN has officially begun a campaign to vaccinate in children

The United Nations, in collaboration with Palestinian health authorities, has officially begun a campaign to vaccinate children in the Gaza Strip against the poliovirus.

This comes after the virus, previously defeated in the enclave following a mass vaccination drive, was discovered last month after 25 years.

The detection of the polio case highlights the collapse of Gaza’s health infrastructure due to almost 11 months of nonstop Israeli bombardment. Abdel-Rahman Abu el-Jedian, a 10-month-old Palestinian,

became partially paralysed last month after contracting polio, which he had been unable to receive because his family was repeatedly displaced as a result of Israeli military operations.

According to the WHO, an interruption in routine immunisation campaigns in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Gaza, has contributed to its re-emergence.