UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed has instructed funds to be issued towards the delivery of a critical polio vaccination drive in Gaza, following the re-emergence of the virus in the Palestinian enclave.
The UN campaign will be supported by an allocation of $5 million from the UAE.
The vaccines will be delivered in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, Unicef and UNRWA, and will provide 640,000 Gazan children under the age of 10 with two doses, state news agency Wam reported.
The UAE has been at the forefront of humanitarian efforts in Gaza, delivering more than 40,000 tonnes of urgent supplies, including food, medical aid and shelter materials.
A field hospital has been established in southern Gaza, along with a floating hospital at the Egyptian port of Al Arish, which have collectively provided medical care to more than 27,000 sick and wounded Palestinians.
A further initiative seeks to provide treatment for more than 1,000 Palestinian children and 1,000 cancer patients in UAE hospitals. In addition, six water desalination plants have been established in Rafah, Egypt, with a capacity of six million litres per day, supplying water to more than 600,000 Gazans.
It is hoped the drive will help stop the spread of the virus and prevent a wider regional outbreak. The campaign will begin on Sunday, September 1, in phases, starting in central Gaza before moving to the south and north of the enclave.
Each phase will run for three days during area-specific humanitarian pauses, to enable children and families to go to health centres and community workers to reach children.
At least 90 per cent vaccination coverage is needed during each round to prevent the spread of polio, experts say, given the overcrowding, displacement and severely disrupted health, water and sanitation systems in Gaza.
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