Gaza polio vaccination rate hits 90% as IDF ramps up deliveries into war-torn enclave

IDF plans deliveries of vaccine tailored to the virus found in Gaza

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Around 90% of the population in Gaza was vaccinated against polio in the first quarter of 2024, the Israeli military stated, after an equivalent of 2.8 million doses was delivered by Israeli military troops into the Gaza Strip.

Last month, aid groups sounded the alarm after a case of polio was confirmed, about 25 years after the illness had been eradicated in Gaza. The Associated Press reported that the virus was detected in wastewater in six different locations in July.

The IDF, in response, instructed soldiers to maintain a high level of personal hygiene and began a vaccination drive among its troops while preparing a similar effort for the population in Gaza.

Since the beginning of the war last October, COGAT, the IDF unit responsible for civilian affairs in the Gaza Strip, has coordinated the entry of 282,126 vials of the polio vaccine, sufficient for 2,821,260 doses, according to IDF International Spokesman Nadav Shoshani, who said the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that 90% of the enclave’s population received the vaccines.

“Since the discovery of the virus in July, and as part of the vaccination campaign, 9,000 vials were brought through the Kerem Shalom crossing, providing 90,000 additional doses of the vaccine,” he added.

“In the coming weeks, 43,250 vials of vaccine, tailored to the virus found in environmental samples, are expected to arrive in Israel and will enter the Gaza Strip. This will be sufficient to vaccinate over one million children (in two rounds) – a total of 2,162,500 doses.”

Shoshani said that the health situation in Gaza, especially regarding the polio virus, is being monitored by COGAT in situational assessments twice a week, together with Israel’s Health Ministry, the WHO and UNICEF.

Additional meetings are being held to implement vaccinations among the population in Gaza in cooperation with USAID.

COGAT continues to stay in contact and hold situational assessments with all health system stakeholders and the international community to continue monitoring the medical situation in Gaza, Shoshani wrote on 𝕏.

“As part of this effort, since the beginning of the war, the State of Israel has facilitated the establishment of 14 field hospitals in Gaza, alongside the entry of 2,566 trucks carrying 25,955 tons of medications and medical equipment into Gaza, which have been distributed to the population.”

Last month, Israel began repairing the sanitation system throughout the Gaza Strip, including restoring damaged sewage lines and treatment plants, Ynet reported.

The IDF's initiative mainly focuses on the southern Gaza Strip, where the majority of the local population is concentrated.