Mass vaccination against the disease polio will be resumed in Gaza on Saturday, announces the World Health Organization WHO.
Nearly 600,000 children will be vaccinated after poliovirus was once again detected in water samples in Gaza in December and January, discoveries that according to WHO "indicate ongoing presence in the environment, which exposes children to risks".
The new vaccination campaign will take place from February 22 to 26. The goal is to vaccinate 591,000 children under 10 years of age, including those who have not been vaccinated before. This is to "close immunity gaps and put an end to the outbreak", according to WHO.
An additional vaccination round is planned for April.
Poliovirus is most often spread through sewage and contaminated water and is highly infectious and potentially deadly.
