Gaza – Ma’an – In the midst of the intensive national campaign to combat polio in the Gaza Strip, which was launched on September 1, 2024, and includes two rounds aiming to provide the second oral vaccine to more than 640,000 children under the age of ten, we should pause to reflect on the pivotal point and spark that drew the world’s attention to the importance of protecting the children of the Strip from this virus.
This campaign came in response to the first confirmed case of polio recorded in Gaza after a 25-year hiatus, which raised global awareness about the urgent need to protect children from this virus.
The alarming discovery of the case of the child Abdul Rahman Abu Al-Jidyan, the first confirmed case of polio in Gaza, prompted the Palestinian Red Crescent team to move to check on his health and support his family. The team headed to the family’s tent in Deir Al-Balah to provide the necessary support and care, and to ensure that the child received his necessary vaccinations.
The visit was an embo
diment of the moral and social responsibility towards this bereaved family, as their goal was not only to check on the child’s health, but also to stand by the family in this ordeal.
The visiting delegation was headed by Dr. Mohammed Abu Rahma, Director of Primary Care at the Red Crescent Society, and included Dr. Rami Abu Hamad, Medical Director of the Fathi Arafat Center, Dr. Imad Al-Tatri, a physician at the Deir Al-Balah Clinic, and Mazen Abu Musabah, Administrative Director of the Deir Al-Balah Branch. This visit was an embodiment of solidarity and humanity, as everyone worked to provide medical and psychological support to the family and ensure that the child received the care he needed.
The father of the child, Abdul Rahman Abu Al-Jidyan, who supports 9 other children, revealed painful details about what his son went through, revealing that the reason behind his infection with polio was due to his not receiving any vaccinations since his birth, as a result of the harsh conditions imposed by the war.
T
he grieving father added that the polluted water they were forced to use was the main factor that led to his child contracting this disease, noting that Abdul Rahman now suffers from general weakness resulting from malnutrition.
The Red Crescent medical team carefully examined the child Abdul Rahman, and after diagnosis, a new vaccination schedule was developed that was in line with his health needs. Everything necessary was also provided to ensure the stability of his condition, in the hope of improving Abdul Rahman’s health and ensuring that he receives the care he deserves.
The national polio campaign is being managed by a group of international and local humanitarian agencies, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization, in addition to the Palestinian Ministry of Health and the Palestinian Red Crescent. This close cooperation reflects the commitment of the international and local community
to provide the necessary vaccines and ensure that the virus does not spread.
*Al Hilal prepares for a vaccination campaign in Khan Yunis*
In continuation of this campaign, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society intends, starting from Thursday, September 5, 2024, and for a period of three days, to launch a large campaign to provide the polio vaccine in the western areas of Khan Yunis city. The campaign will be launched from Al-Amal Hospital, Al-Quds Field Hospital, and Al-Basah Point.
In addition, mobile teams will set off from these sites to expand the scope of the campaign and reach the largest possible number of children in need of the vaccine, with the aim of covering all target groups and providing the vaccine to every child in the region, which will contribute to protecting them from the polio virus and enhance efforts to eradicate it.
Source: Maan News Agency