A campaign to inoculate children in Gaza against polio and prevent the spread of the virus has begun, the Health Ministry said Saturday, as Palestinians in the Hamas-governed enclave and the occupied West Bank reeled from Israel's military offensives. A small number of children in Gaza received doses a day before the large-scale vaccine rollout and planned pause in fighting agreed to by Israel and the UN World Health Organization, the AP reports. "There must be a ceasefire so that the teams can reach everyone targeted by this campaign," said Dr. Yousef Abu Al-Rish, Gaza's deputy health minister, describing scenes of sewage running through crowded tent camps. Polio is spread through fecal matter.
AP journalists saw about 10 children receiving doses at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis. The Washington Post described the inoculations as a symbolic start to the effort. "I was terrified and waiting for the vaccination to arrive and for everyone to receive it," said Amal Shaheen, whose daughter received a dose. In its first statement on the campaign, Israel said the vaccination program would continue through Sept. 9 and last eight hours a day. It is expected to pause some operations in Gaza to allow health workers to administer vaccines with the aim of reaching some 640,000 Palestinian children. Most people who contract the disease do not experience symptoms, and those who do usually recover in a week or so. But there is no cure.
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