A grim development in Gaza is the return of polio to the region for the first time in 25 years, with the first case found in a 10-month-old baby. Consequently, amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, the debilitating disease has cropped up, complicating global efforts to eradicate polio.
This case of polio prompted a three-day extraordinary ceasefire from today between Israel and Hamas. It is a short lull, which has been enforced to facilitate an emergency vaccination campaign in the region. For this vaccination drive, Israel has agreed to a temporary halt in fighting to enable almost 640,000 children in Gaza, up to the age of 10 years, to be vaccinated.
In response, the WHO launched a polio vaccination campaign that is to be carried out in three stages in the centre of Gaza, the south, and the north. For each stage, it will maintain the ceasefire daily from 6 am to 5 pm local time to create safety zones for the vaccination teams.
This truce, impelled more by humanitarian rather than diplomatic or military imperatives, underlines how even in a theatre of conflict, there is an imperative need for health interventions. The situation epitomizes the complex interplay between public health and conflict as the international community strives to prevent a potential outbreak of polio in a region already devastated by war.
The ceasefire brings a moment of extremely rare pauses in violence after the death toll in Palestine started counting at over 40,000 since October 7, including many women and children; hence, making particular mention of the protection of health for the children amidst ongoing hostilities.
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