Gaza needs 640,000 polio vaccines. This is how the World Health Organization plans to do it

the United Nations led polio vaccination campaign kicked off on Sunday, giving shots to around 87,000 children. Now, the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees says the second phase of the campaign will be focused on the south of the strip. All the all of the initial shots are scheduled to be administered by September the 12th. I remember the promises to immunize 640,000 kids in the enclave. Let's give us an update on what is an enormously difficult logistical challenges. Rick Peppercorn, the World Health Organization representative for the West Bank and Gaza, not just organizing but actually involved in the administering of these vaccines. It's good to have you, Rick. Thank you for joining us. Firstly, this this vaccination drive can only happen if these temporary ceasefires hold. Correct. So tell us how that going at present. Well, definitely. And indeed. And the daunting task for all of us. And greetings from all of us in Gaza, the Arabella, which is also the polio emergency operation center. So the task is to indeed reach 90%, 90% vaccination coverage of 640,000 children every year, rounds for two rounds. And we welcome this commitment issue right set from area specific humanitarian forces. And that's why we we defined it in Gaza in three zones. So in a in a central zones, in central zone and in southern zone and in northern zone, each zone we will vaccinate for three days, most likely another day, three plus one. And then we shift to the other zone. And then four weeks later we do the same. So we, we we started yesterday with the seventh zone and and the southern zone. The target population is one of the 56,583. Then we moved to the south target population three inches 40,000 case and naught one on the 50. So yesterday was a good day. It was actually a successful day. I was not completely surprised because the Gaza population deaths and high except of for vaccination. But I think they came out in their droves. Families, fathers, modest, having children. I visited 6 or 7 of those centers and happy children showing their left little finger that they were vaccinated and be vaccinated. More than 86,000 almost 87,000 children in in one day. Now, this is a this is a remarkable challenge and a remarkable feat that you've been able to get these jabs into the arms of all this vaccine, into the, into so many kids at this point. Tell me, where were these kids coming from? Who are they coming with? And what kind of state within welcoming of Reverend Vitor fathers which are models, etc.. So today, for example, is the second day and I went with a few mobile teams and we went and maybe you know that from the from the television era, from TV, this, this endless colorful roads, which is endless, makeshift camps all over. We went all over in those camps with one of these, mobile teams. And everywhere, you know, where we met mothers and fathers with groups of children. I mean, in those camps, almost every child was vaccinated. So we reached a high target. And I think maybe we even, underestimated the target in the central zone, because with the recent evacuation orders, the Gaza population is constantly in flux. but I say there is. And real appetite for this vaccination. People realize why and how. And again, we should not forget that Gaza always has a very high coverage in routine immunization before this crisis. coverage over 90, 95%. You you are absolutely relying on these temporary ceasefires, holding in order to get, as many of these vaccines into kids as you can. What's your message to Israel and Hamas as we speak? And what are the consequences for Gaza and Israel and indeed surrounding countries if this polio outbreak is not brought under control? Well, I think it's it's the message is, of course, that, we have a plan and all this it's incredibly complex. I mean, I cannot even describe to 513 teams operational, etc.. And every day from six till two and all the other teams that manages their war to midnight, actually analyzes monitoring, independent monitoring. I can't even describe how complex it is. I don't the things in Afghanistan this is way more complex. So the request is very clear. All the pieces of this puzzle have to fit together. And the most important, this is, of course, this area specific humanitarian pause us, which the parties have to stick to because otherwise, if it would have happened, we will not never reach this goal. did, this target, the children, their parents, everybody will lose their confidence with the risk that we do not stop the transmission within Gaza, and indeed, that the risk of polio spread out of Gaza and that we, the World Health Organization, all member states, we are working to eradicate polio of world. We have only two countries where you have the wild polio virus vanished in Pakistan. You see this vaccine derived outbreaks always in areas of strife and war, children under vaccinators. So we have to tackle this, problem. Right on. I want to say one more point. There is a bit of a fight, a positive fight about this polio campaign. We are only in day two. We have ten more days to go and then four weeks later and the others, the rest of the health situation is deeply concerning. Only yesterday I had another W.H.O. team going to the north, bringing few medical supplies, and taking patients out to get of it. Yes, from Indonesian hospital. Come at Walnut Safra. This was the surge mission, only approved out of eight missions over the last week. And they came back at 1:00 in the morning. Highly dangerous, highly risky and completely unnecessary. This has to improve. And my other request, of course, is everyone. This would work much better if if there would be a ceasefire and we can make other arrangements. I mean, this is not an ideal campaign. In ideal situation, you want to go house to house. There's very few houses left. So we made myself understand for war, people. Understood. Well, you've delineated very erudite Lee, just the sort of challenges that your organization and others supporting you. are, facing. but the numbers at present, as you say, bode well, which is, you know, a small ray of light in what has been such a dark, dull, dark ten months. Thank you very much indeed for your own work and for joining us today.