A group of 20 aid agencies and 20 doctors, including Save the Children, Oxfam, Action Aid and Islamic Relief Worldwide, have joined world forces and called for an urgent ceasefire to start launching polio vaccines campaign accross the Gaza Strip.
The appeal to vaccinate 640,000 children under the age of 10 in the Gaz enclave came after health officials confirmed the emergence of the first case of polio in Gaza in 25 years.
“Without immediate action, an entire generation is at risk of infection, and hundreds of children face paralysis by a highly communicable disease that can be prevented with a simple vaccine,” said Jeremy Stoner, Save the Children’s regional director for the Middle East.
“These children do not have the luxury of time,” he added.
The groups have blamed the reemergence of the poliovirus on Israel’s destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, as well as its restrictions on repairs and supplies.
“Now polio is confirmed, the response needs to be measured in hours, not weeks.”
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