A catch-up immunization campaign is underway in Gaza to reach over 40,000 children under three who have missed routine vaccines due to two years of conflict.
By Nathan Morley
A catch-up immunization, nutrition and health campaign is underway in Gaza to reach more than 40,000 children under age 3 who missed routine vaccines during two years of conflict.
UNICEF said vaccination rates in the enclave have dropped below 70 percent, far under the 98 percent coverage Gaza had before the war.
The agency warned that the decline falls below the threshold needed to keep preventable diseases under control.
The campaign began last week and has already reached thousands of children. It will run in three rounds — November, December and January.
“Before the war, Gaza had 98 percent vaccination coverage and 55 immunization sites; now coverage has fallen below 70 percent with 31 vaccination facilities destroyed or damaged,” UNICEF spokesperson Ricardo Pires said.
As a fragile ceasefire holds, Pires said the biggest challenge is delivering medical supplies into the territory.
The effort requires 1.6 million syringes, but most remain outside Gaza.
