00:00Welcome back. In Palestine, a campaign to vaccinate about 40,000 children on the days of three began on Sunday.
00:12Gaza's health ministry launched Sunday a catch-up vaccination campaign targeting children under the age of three
00:18who missed their basic vaccination during Israel's two-year genocide on the enclave.
00:23The drive aims to protect against preventable diseases such as measles, polio, and meningitis
00:30after months of war-disrupted routine immunizations. In this context, physician Mahmoud Saleh explained
00:37that the measures would give priority to children who haven't received full doses.
00:42The vaccination campaign, a catch-up campaign, began today. It's essential for every child
00:54who missed vaccinations due to displacement and was unable to receive them. We are administering
01:00these vaccines according to the schedule prepared for each child. There was a very high turnout on
01:05the first day of the vaccination campaign.
01:14Children make up 47% of Gaza's total population, reaching around 980,000 individuals, according
01:21to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics last April. In a statement, the ministry said
01:27the campaign is being implemented in cooperation with the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees, and
01:33the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, with support from the World Health Organization, and the
01:38UN Children's Fund. Thousands of Palestinians accompanied their children to medical centers
01:44and health points designated by the ministry to receive the vaccines and strengthen their
01:49children's immunity.
01:52I came to give my son his first month vaccination. Because of the conditions we live in, I was
02:01afraid that I would not be able to give my son the vaccinations. So I came here to give my
02:05son his first month vaccination out of fear for his health because we live in tents. Our health
02:10situation is non-existent, and we are surrounded by sewage. We were supposed to get the vaccine
02:2110 days ago, but I was delayed because of the displacement. Thank God the ceasefire started,
02:26and we came and got this vaccine. The two-month vaccine is important because it protects against
02:31eight diseases. We also have environmental issues, sewage problems, and garbage in the streets.
02:42During the Israeli war, the health ministry, in cooperation with international organizations,
02:48launched to emergency vaccination drives against polio, the first on September 1, 2024, and
02:55the second on February 22, 2025. This campaign is set to last 10 days and will be carried out
03:03in three stages, each separated by a one-month interval, according to the health ministry.
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