Toronto, February 20, 2025 – Over 590,000 children are set to receive polio vaccinations in Gaza, with the pause in hostilities allowing a third round of the vaccines required to protect children and prevent further outbreak of the life-threatening disease, said Save the Children.
Tens of thousands of children have missed routine immunizations, and many newborns received none at all after 16 months of bombardment by Israeli forces and restrictions on entry of medical supplies brought Gaza’s healthcare system to the brink and saw polio re-emerge for the first time in 25 years.
Children in Gaza suffering from malnutrition and stress after over a year of war are particularly vulnerable to preventable diseases like polio. With large swathes of Gaza destroyed and buried under rubble, many families are living in makeshift and inadequate accommodation.
The polio virus reappeared in sewage samples in Gaza in July 2024. A 10-month-old unvaccinated baby became the first case in over 25 years and was left paralysed. The virus is particularly dangerous for children under five and can cause irreversible paralysis within hours, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) [1].
The five-day polio vaccination campaign will begin in Gaza on 22 February and marks the third vaccine campaign in seven months. Over 558,000 and 556,000 children aged under 10 were vaccinated in the first two campaigns, said WHO [2 &3], but thousands could not be reached due to ongoing bombardments.
Children require multiple doses of the polio vaccine to develop effective immunity, and this third round aims to provide that protection. However, delays in vaccine delivery have disrupted the immunization schedule, weakening children’s immunity and leaving them at continued risk of contracting the virus. Save the Children will support the provision of polio vaccines at two health centres in Deir Al-Balah and Khan Younis, with around 200 children under 10 expected to be vaccinated daily in the Khan Younis centre, where vaccines are being offered for the first time.
Ahmad Alhendawi, Middle East Regional Director at Save the Children, said:
“This vaccination campaign is a crucial step, but it’s not enough. Thousands of children have missed out on essential vaccines, are malnourished, and living in dire conditions. Many are struggling with life-threatening injuries and traumatic stress.
“Every day without proper healthcare and the conditions for a healthy life puts them at further risk. We need urgent funding to scale up our response. While these vaccines will save lives, they can’t undo the damage already done. The only thing that will truly safeguard children’s health and futures is a definitive ceasefire.”
Save the Children has been providing essential services and support to Palestinian children since 1953 and has had a permanent presence in the occupied Palestinian territory since 1973.
Save the Children runs two health care centres in Gaza, where we provide primary health care and urgent medical treatment for all children including those malnourished, and pregnant and breastfeeding women. Since the pause in hostilities, our medical supplies have entered Gaza, but nowhere near enough to match the scale of the needs and more funding is urgently required. Our trucks carrying temporary shelter kits, bedding and hygiene products continue to enter Gaza and we are also providing cash assistance for families.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS:
Media Contact
For additional information please contact Julie Marshall, Senior Manager, Media:
About Save the Children
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. In Canada and around the world, we give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share.