WHO To Vaccinate 40,000 Children in Gaza Amid Ceasefire
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced its plan to vaccinate over 40,000 children in Gaza as a ceasefire allows intensified humanitarian operations. In phase one of the campaign, more than 10,000 children under age three were vaccinated against measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, polio, rotavirus, and pneumonia. Phase one, which started November 9, is being extended; phases two and three are expected in December and January, jointly run with UNICEF, UNRWA, and Gaza authorities. WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus said the truce enables expanded health services and vital reconstruction for Gaza’s devastated health system. The UN Security Council recently endorsed the ceasefire plan, brokered by US President Donald Trump, following two years of hostilities that claimed thousands of lives, with over half the deaths in Gaza reported as women and minors.
