Israel-Hamas war latest: UNICEF says polio vaccination campaign in Gaza is surpassing its target
The U.N. children’s agency says a polio vaccination campaign in Gaza reached 189,000 children, surpassing its target and providing a “rare bright spot” in nearly 11 months of war
By The Associated Press
Published - Sep 04, 2024, 10:30 PM ET
Last Updated - Dec 16, 2024, 07:34 PM EST
The U.N. children’s agency says a polio vaccination campaign in Gaza reached 189,000 children, surpassing its target and providing a “rare bright spot” in nearly 11 months of war.
UNICEF said Wednesday that more than 500 teams deployed across central Gaza this week, administering the vaccine to children under 10.
It said Israel and Hamas observed limited pauses in the fighting to facilitate the campaign. U.N. agencies now hope to expand the campaign to the harder-hit north and south of the territory. They hope to vaccinate a total of 640,000 children.
The campaign was launched after Gaza had its first reported polio case in 25 years — a 10-month-old boy, now paralyzed in the leg.
