What's happened
A polio vaccination campaign for children in Gaza commenced on September 1, 2024, amid ongoing violence. The initiative aims to inoculate 640,000 children following a recent case of paralysis linked to the virus. The campaign coincides with a surge in casualties from Israeli airstrikes in the region.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to The Independent, the vaccination campaign aims to prevent a polio outbreak, with health officials emphasizing the dire need for immunization amid ongoing violence. The Guardian notes that the campaign began after a 10-month-old child was paralyzed by a mutated strain of the virus, underscoring the urgency of the situation. Sky News highlights the challenges faced by healthcare workers, who are administering vaccines while dealing with the aftermath of airstrikes that have killed numerous civilians. The South China Morning Post reports on the high casualty rates from Israeli bombardments, which complicate the vaccination efforts. These contrasting perspectives illustrate the complex interplay between health initiatives and ongoing conflict in the region.
How we got here
The current conflict escalated after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, leading to a significant military response from Israel. The humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated, prompting urgent health measures, including the polio vaccination campaign after the first case in 25 years was reported.
More on these topics
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The Gaza Strip, or simply Gaza, is a self-governing Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, that borders Egypt on the southwest for 11 kilometers and Israel on the east and north along a 51 km border.
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Hamas is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist militant organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
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Israel, formally known as the State of Israel, is a country in Western Asia, located on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea and the northern shore of the Red Sea.
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The West Bank is a landlocked territory near the Mediterranean coast of Western Asia, bordered by Jordan to the east and by Israel to the south, west and north. The West Bank also contains a significant section of the western Dead Sea shore.