Gaza fighting pauses agreed to finish polio vaccinations: Unicef

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The Unicef head has said humanitarian pauses in the fighting in the Gaza Strip have been agreed to allow a second round of polio vaccinations targeting 590,000 children under 10 to start on October 14, Reuters reports.

“Area-specific humanitarian pauses have been agreed. It is critical that these pauses are respected by all parties. Without them, it is impossible to vaccinate the children,” Unicef Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement.

“Unicef will include Vitamin A supplements to strengthen children’s immune systems. Children in Gaza live in extremely dire hygiene and sanitation conditions,” Russell said.

“With the additional vaccine equipment and cold boxes that arrived yesterday, Unicef is ready to deliver and vaccinate children to stop the transmission of polio,” she said. “The success of the first round shows that when agreements are respected, we can get the job done.”

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