EU calls for humanitarian pauses in Gaza to carry out child polio vaccination campaign

By Nur Asena Erturk

The European Union on Thursday called for humanitarian pauses in the war-torn Gaza to allow for a critical vaccination campaign against poliovirus, according to a statement from the EU High Representative’s office.

The EU expressed deep concern over the potential for a polio epidemic in Gaza, a region that has been polio-free for the past 25 years. The call for action aligns with the appeals made by the UN secretary-general and the World Health Organization, urging immediate pauses in the war to ensure the vaccination campaign can proceed.

“The EU joins the call by the United Nations Secretary-General and the World Health Organisation for immediate humanitarian pauses in Gaza to allow for the polio vaccination campaign to take place,” the statement read.

The EU has planned two rounds of vaccinations in Gaza over the next few weeks, targeting over 640,000 children, and stressed that “commitment to the humanitarian pauses by all parties will be crucial to allow the successful and timely implementation of these urgent campaigns.”

The urgency of the campaign was underscored by the recent announcement from Gaza’s Health Ministry, which confirmed the first polio case in the region in 25 years.

The case, involving a 10-month-old baby in Deir al-Balah, highlighted the vulnerability of unvaccinated children to the disease, which primarily affects those under five years old.

The disease primarily affects children under the age of five and can cause irreversible paralysis in one in 200 infections, with a significant percentage of these cases (between 5% and 10%) resulting in death due to respiratory failure, according to WHO.

The call for humanitarian pauses comes amid escalating violence in Gaza, where Israel has continued its brutal offensive following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7.

The ongoing conflict, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has resulted in more than 40,400 Palestinian deaths, mostly women and children, and over 93,600 injuries, according to local health authorities.

In addition to the Israeli onslaught, Gaza is grappling with severe shortages of essential resources due to an ongoing blockade, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis. The region has been left in ruins, with critical shortages of food, clean water, and medical supplies.

The situation has drawn international condemnation, with Israel facing accusations of genocide at the International Court of Justice. The court has ordered a halt to military operations in Rafah, where over one million Palestinians had sought refuge before the area was invaded on May 6.