“Preventing and containing the spread of polio will require a massive, coordinated and urgent effort,” the high representative told reporters when announcing that the organization is prepared to deploy a vital campaign.

The World Health Organization has approved the release of 1.6 million doses of the polio vaccine while the Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is coordinating the delivery of the vaccines and the cold chain equipment to store them.

At the same time, the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) has medical teams ready to administer the vaccines and help with logistics.

Given the widespread devastation in Gaza, vaccination coverage of at least 95 percent will be needed during each of the two planned rounds to prevent the spread of polio and reduce its emergence, Guterres said.

The campaign, he said, will include 708 teams in hospitals and primary health care centers, many of which are barely functioning, and 316 community outreach teams across Gaza.

However, the UN chief warned of other clear challenges to carrying out the process such as facilitating the transport of vaccines and cold chain equipment at each step as well as the entry of polio experts into the Strip and more fuel.

Above all, successful polio vaccination needs security for health workers to do their work, for children and families to reach health facilities and the protection of health facilities, he added.

“Let us be clear: the ultimate vaccine against polio is peace and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. But in any case, a pause in the fight against polio is essential,” insisted Guterres.

According to the UN chief, it is impossible to carry out a vaccination process “while war is raging everywhere.”

The call for alert coincides with the resumption of negotiations for the end of the conflict, and after the virus was detected in waste water in Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah, which puts hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza at risk.

“To implement this plan, we need a pause and, of course, that requires an agreement between the parties,” insisted Guterres.

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