Rotary commits funds to polio outbreak response in Gaza

PICTURED: Photo: Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via AFP

The recent detection of variant poliovirus type-2 isolates in environmental samples and the confirmation of a 10-month-old child who has contracted polio in Gaza is a stark reminder that as long as polio exists anywhere, it is a threat everywhere.

The ongoing crisis in Gaza has contributed to reduced routine immunisation rates and an increased risk of vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio. The crisis also poses a significant challenge to fully implementing disease surveillance and vaccination campaigns.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) considers there to be a high risk for the spread of this polio strain within Gaza and internationally, particularly given the current situation’s impact on public health services.

A humanitarian pause allowed a two-round polio vaccination campaign to begin in Gaza. The first round was successfully implemented from September 1-12, 2024, and vaccinated 559,161 children, or an estimated 95 per cent of eligible children at the governorate level, according to independently conducted post-campaign monitoring.

The second round of the emergency polio vaccination campaign began on October 14. The campaign started in Central Gaza, vaccinating children under 10 years old with nOPV2, where children aged between 2-9 years old were also offered Vitamin A.

Rotary committed US$500,000 to bolster the initiative, channelling these funds through a dedicated Polio Outbreak Response Fund. This contribution represents Rotary’s sustained support to the WHO in combating polio globally.

Rotary will continue to work with its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and other agencies as vaccination efforts unfold.

Financial contributions to the PolioPlus fund will help Rotary and its Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners achieve a world in which no child is paralysed by polio again.

Follow the latest on the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza at bit.ly/3BVvyD1