Photo by Kristine Wook on Unsplash
The EU has called for an “immediate humanitarian pause” to enable the vaccination of all children in Gaza against the poliovirus.
The demand comes as it emerged that the Gaza Strip has been hit by its first outbreak of polio in over two decades.
The area had been polio-free for the last 25 years.
The EU now says it is “it is alarming” that poliovirus was detected and that the first case had been confirmed there, affecting children.
This, it adds, comes amid an epidemic among a population “already weakened” by over 10 months of fighting and displacement, malnourishment and lack of basic health services.
The EU, in a statement, said the area was also suffering “deplorable sanitary conditions, as well as further spread internationally.”
Any deterioration “must be avoided.”
The EU added that it joined similar calls by the United Nations Secretary General and the World Health Organisation for immediate humanitarian pauses in Gaza to allow for the polio vaccination campaign to take place.
Two rounds of the campaign are expected to be rolled out in the Strip in the coming weeks in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and UNICEF.
This will provide two drops of novel oral polio vaccine type 2 to more than 640,000 children under ten years of age. It will be rolled out in three separate stages, across the central, southern and northern parts of the strip.
Around 1.26m doses of the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) are already in Gaza, with 400,000 additional doses set to arrive soon.
The vaccinations will be carried out by UN staff and other local health workers. Over 2,000 health and community outreach personnel have been trained to administer the vaccine.
The EU said it “welcomes” the delivery of more than 1.2 million oral polio vaccines as well as the cooperation by Israel in delivering the vaccines to Gaza.
The Union went on to say that it “underlines the importance” of further cooperation by all sides with WHO, UNRWA and UNICEF to conduct the vaccination rollout.
A statement by its foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell, a former MEP, said, “Commitment to the humanitarian pauses by all parties will be crucial to allow the successful and timely implementation of these urgent campaigns.
“Protecting healthcare facilities and their workers and ensuring safe access for children and families to vaccination sites will be essential to this end.”
The Spaniard added, “The EU has consistently reiterated its concern about the catastrophic situation in Gaza and supported the ongoing negotiations for a deal on a ceasefire and the release of all hostages.”
“The EU and its member states are jointly the biggest humanitarian donor in Gaza.”
Borrell went on, “The EU remains fully committed to providing humanitarian aid and support to Palestinians affected by the war in Gaza, including through the continuation of the EU Humanitarian Air Bridge operations, increased funding to support health facilities and assistance via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism as well as humanitarian actors – both UN agencies and NGOs – on the ground.”
