Gaza polio vaccination drive a 'massive success': WHO

Geneva: The WHO chief hailed on Friday the success of the first phase of a giant polio vaccination campaign in war ravaged Gaza after more than 560,00...

Geneva: The WHO chief hailed on Friday the success of the first phase of a giant polio vaccination campaign in war-ravaged Gaza after more than 560,000 children received a first dose.

"This is a massive success amidst a tragic daily reality of life across the Gaza Strip," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X, formerly Twitter.

Disease has spread with Gaza lying in ruins and the majority of its 2.4 million residents forced to flee their homes due to Israel's military assault -- often taking refuge in cramped and unsanitary conditions.

After the first confirmed polio case in 25 years, a massive vaccination effort began on September 1 targeting at least 90 percent of children under 10, aided by localised "humanitarian pauses" in fighting.

The first phase of the campaign, which first brought vaccines to children in central Gaza, then the south, and finally to the hardest-to reach north of the territory, wrapped up Thursday.