WHO to send 1.2m polio vaccines to Gaza after outbreak warning

It will be a “huge logistical challenge” to ensure the 1.2 million vaccine doses are deployed successfully, said WHO official Andrea King.

Vaccines need to be continuously stored in a limited temperature range – from the moment they are manufactured until they are administered – which presents a technical challenge during ongoing hostilities.

The WHO called for a ceasefire and requested “absolute freedom of movement” during the rollout of the vaccine programme. It said it was in the process of obtaining the necessary approvals to enter Gaza.

However, previous calls for a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds have not been granted by Israel.

The Israeli military said in July it had begun vaccinating its soldiers against the disease.

Testing run by WHO last month showed that sewage samples collected in two areas of Gaza were positive for polio.

The genetic nature of the samples indicated they had been circulating in Gaza “for some time, maybe as early as since September of last year”, WHO polio specialist Dr Hamed Jafari said in July.

He added that Gaza offered “ideal conditions” for polio transmission, because of “displacement, overcrowding, sewage contamination, lack of clean water”.