RAMALLAH, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- A shipment of 350,000 polio vaccine doses arrived in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, Palestinian Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan announced.
This is the second batch of vaccines, which are being stored in a dedicated warehouse for a coordinated vaccination campaign with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). A total of approximately 1.6 million doses are expected to arrive, enough to vaccinate all children from birth to 10 years old with two doses each.
Since Sunday, Health Ministry teams, along with the World Health Organization, UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), and UNICEF, have been conducting the vaccination campaign in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. The campaign will extend to Khan Younis, Gaza City, and northern governorates.
Abu Ramadan also urged the international community and organizations to press Israel to halt the "aggression" and allow health personnel to work in Gaza.
To date, more than 158,000 children have been vaccinated, according to the ministry. UNRWA has stated that the polio vaccine is very safe, with most children experiencing no side effects.
"There is no treatment for polio, but getting the vaccine is the only effective solution for preventing it," UNRWA said in a post on social platform X, urging Gaza residents to immunize their children.
The vaccination campaign, which began on Sunday, will continue until Sept. 12. This follows the first recorded case of poliovirus in Gaza in 25 years, reported in Deir al-Balah in August, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
