WHO chief says nearly 157,000 children vaccinated so far in 2nd round of polio campaign

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) - The World Health Organization (WHO) chief said Wednesday that the total number of children who got a second dose of polio vaccine in central Gaza reached nearly 157,000 after the completion of day two of the current round of vaccinations.

Noting that the vaccination continues today, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X that over 128,000 children also got vitamin A supplements.

"We call for the humanitarian pauses to continue to be respected," Tedros said. "We call for a ceasefire and peace."

Tarik Jasarevic, WHO spokesperson, on Tuesday told a UN briefing in Geneva that on day one of the second vaccination campaign, some 92,800 children under 10 got a second dose of the polio vaccine, in line with expectations.

No major issues were reported, he added.

An estimated 590,000 children across Gaza are supposed to receive the second dose over the next 10 days, he explained.

Phase one of the campaign, which concluded on Sept. 12, included over half a million Palestinian children.