UNITED NATIONS: The second round of a vaccination campaign to protect 640,000 children in Gaza against polio will also deliver micronutrients — essential vitamins and minerals — and conduct nutritional screening, a senior UN Children’s Fund official said.
Discussions are also underway about the feasibility of adding further vaccinations to the campaign, including a measles immunization, said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF’s deputy executive director for humanitarian action and supply operations.
“There are over 44,000 children born in the last year and who haven’t received their basic immunization,” he said on Thursday.
The first round of the polio vaccination campaign, which began on Sept. 1, reached its target of 90 percent of children under 10 years of age, the head of the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Monday.
It was carried out in phases over two weeks during humanitarian pauses in the fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas. A second round of the polio vaccinations has to be carried out within four weeks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed last month that a baby was partially paralyzed by the type 2 polio virus, the first such case in the territory in 25 years.
A high risk of famine persists across Gaza as long as the war continues and humanitarian access is restricted, according to an assessment by a global hunger monitor published in June.
“In the same way that we’ve been able to reach all children with polio vaccines, we need to move and use the same modality to reach children with their basic vaccines, with some of the nutrition and hygiene interventions that are essential to save their lives,” Chaiban told reporters after visiting Gaza, the West Bank and Israel.
“Those are lifesaving interventions and the parties have shown that they can line up when necessary. It needs to happen again,” he said.
UN to add nutrients to second round of Gaza polio vaccinations
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UN to add nutrients to second round of Gaza polio vaccinations
- The first round of the polio vaccination campaign, which began on Sept. 1, reached its target of 90 percent of children under 10 years of age
Power supply across Kurdistan drops due to technical issue at Iraq’s Khor Mor gas field, ministry says
- A source at the field also said the technical glitch is under repair and expected to be resolved in a few hours
- The supply of 250 million standard cubic feet of gas has been reduced
BAGHDAD: Electricity supply across Kurdistan dropped by 1,000 megawatts due to a “teachnical issue” at Khor Mor gas field, one of the largest in the Kurdish region, the Kurdish ministry of electricity said on Thursday.
The Ministry of Natural Resources, together with the UAE’s Dana Gas teams, which jointly operate the field, are making efforts to address the problem and restore stability, the ministry of electricity said.
A source at the field also said the technical glitch is under repair and expected to be resolved in a few hours.
The ministry’s statement did not elaborate on what the technical issue was, but said the supply of 250 million standard cubic feet of gas has been reduced.
In November, a rocket hit a storage tank at the gas field, leading to a shutdown in production and extensive power cuts. Operations resumed days later.
The attack was the most significant since a series of drone attacks in July hit oilfields and cut production from the region by around 150,000 barrels per day.
The Kurdistan Regional Government exercises autonomy in northern Iraq, where US companies have significant investments in energy.
