28 June 2022 - Between Saturday 18 June and Wednesday 23 June, health workers across Bethlehem and Jerusalem governorates, supported by WHO, UNICEF and UNRWA, gave an extra dose of polio protection to children under five during round two of the polio vaccination campaign.

Palestine has been polio-free for more than 25 years, but the regional risk of poliovirus is increasing. Following the detection of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 3 (cVDPV3) in sewage outflow in Wadi Alnar site, where there is a junction between wastewater coming from inside the green line with wastewater coming from Bethlehem and Jerusalem, the Ministry of Health launched a preventative vaccination campaign to boost children’s immunity in those governorates.

The campaign saw children vaccinated at Ministry of Health and UNRWA health facilities, and through mobile health teams working in remote areas. The occupied Palestinian territory is a diverse place, in environment and culture, and though the campaign covered just two governorates, its story can be told in the faces and voices of those who took part.

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The remote health worker

Nurse Mohammad Rashaida is from the Bedouin community of Arab Al Rashaida. He is based in the clinic in the main village, but for two days during the campaign he led health outreach through the mobile health clinic to cover the outlying rural areas. Mohammad’s personal connection to the people he serves motivates him, especially when the work is challenging. “It was hard work today because the roads are very difficult, and the weather is hot. In the coming week we will do another day in the remote areas so we can accomplish our mission.”

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The registrar

Nurse Jamillah Elayyan greets a new patient before registering her details at UNRWA health clinic in Dheisheh Camp, Bethlehem Governorate on 20 June 2022. Every child who received OPV during the campaign had their name, date of birth and ID number or phone number recorded, to ensure an accurate record of which children were covered.

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The vaccinator at local health centers

“This campaign is being held so that children can benefit from an extra layer of protection, on top of their regularly scheduled polio vaccinations. I am doing my part in keeping children safe from polio, parents must do theirs,” said Mayada Zahiqa, Head Nurse at East Sawahra Health Center in Jerusalem governorate.

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The mother

Parents and caregivers are the heart of polio vaccination campaigns. Their willingness to vaccinate children is crucial in keeping Palestine polio-free. Thanks to Palestine’s strong culture of vaccine acceptance, despite juggling work, childcare and other commitments, parents and caregivers prioritised their children’s vaccination and turned up to health centers during round-two of the campaign.

Nedaa, mother of Basel, Mahmoud and Mustafa ,all under the age of five, has taken time out from her busy day to ensure that her children are protected from polio by receiving an extra dose of protection. “Just as my children’s health is a priority for me, I’m sure it is the same for all mothers too. This is why we should ensure that our children receive the polio vaccine vaccine today, to protect their tomorrow.”

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The grandparent

Fatima Salman Rashaida hands her grandchildren’s health records to nurse Afaf Abu Ajamieh in the Bedouin community in Arab Al Rashaida, in Bethlehem governorate. Fatima, who doesn’t know her age and counts at least 60 grandchildren, puts a priority on immunization: “The vaccine is good, it protects us and prevents disease.”

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The father

Muhye gives a cuddle to daughter Lya, 9 months, after she gets her two drops of oral polio vaccine at Al-Sawahreh Sharqiyya Health Center. Like the vast majority of parents, Muhye is a staunch believer in the importance of vaccines as a vital link in the healthcare chain – even if it means tears for little Lya.

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The cold chain manager

Riham, a nurse at the Al-Ezariyyeh Health Directorate, Jerusalem, hands over carefully marked polio vaccine packages to nurses for safe transportation to health centers. “My morning has started early today. I’m making sure polio vaccine vials reach all 28 health centers covered under Al-Ezariyyeh Health Directorate. I’m overseeing the process.”

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16 June 2022,Ramallah - On Saturday 18 June, the Palestinian Ministry of Health will launch round two of a polio vaccination campaign targeting all children under age five in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. This is a supplementary immunization campaign designed to give children under age five an extra dose of protection from poliovirus, on top of their regularly scheduled vaccinations.

Vaccination, using bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV), is free and will be offered at maternal and child centres and UNRWA centres throughout Bethlehem and Jerusalem between Saturday 18 June and Tuesday 21 June.

Palestine has been polio-free for more than 25 years, thanks to a robust routine immunization programme and a strong culture of vaccine acceptance. But the regional risk of poliovirus is increasing. Following the detection of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 3 (cVDPV3) in sewage outflow in Wadi Alnar site, where there is a junction between wastewater coming from inside the green line with wastewater coming from Bethlehem and Jerusalem, the Ministry of Health took the decision to launch two rounds of a preventative vaccination campaign to boost children’s immunity in the two areas deemed most at risk: Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

“All children under age five, regardless of their immunization status, can benefit from an extra layer of protection against poliovirus. There is no fixed number of times a child should be vaccinated with oral polio vaccine: each dose gives additional protection, on top of the regularly scheduled polio vaccination. I strongly encourage every parent to make it a priority to vaccinate their children in round two of this campaign, even if they missed round one – both for their sake, and for Palestine,” said Dr Mai al-Kaila, Minister of Health, Palestine.

 The vaccination campaign is being carried out with support from WHO, UNICEF and UNRWA’s Palestine country offices.

“Keeping Palestine polio-free is a top priority for WHO and its partners. We are supporting the Ministry of Health to ensure that all children under age five have an opportunity to get an extra dose of protection against poliovirus. I urge all parents to bring their children for vaccination during this campaign and to keep their routine vaccinations up to date to protect them from all vaccine-preventable diseases,” said WHO occupied Palestinian territory Representative Dr Rik Peeperkorn.

“Every child has a right to a life free from polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases. To eliminate polio, every child in every household must be vaccinated. UNICEF remains committed to supporting the Palestinian Ministry of Health to reach all children.  Everyone must play a role in keeping Palestine free of this debilitating disease,” said UNICEF’s Special Representative to the State of Palestine Lucia Elmi.

Round two starts on a Saturday to make it easier for working parents to get their under-fives to health centres for vaccination. As with round one, parents do not need to bring children’s vaccination records to clinics, but if they do, those records will be updated. 

Children living outside of Jerusalem and Bethlehem do not currently require an additional dose of oral polio vaccine. If their routine immunizations are up to date, they are well protected from poliovirus and other vaccine-preventable diseases. 

The vaccination campaign in Palestine is part of the global effort to eradicate poliovirus, spearheaded by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

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Moaayd is the driver of a mobile clinic for the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS), working with communities in the Jordan Valley, in the West Bank. He has been part of the clinic team for ten years.

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“We should be providing health services at least three times a week, but we cover communities in three districts of the Jordan Valley and there is only so much we can do,” says Moaayd.

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“To reach all communities, the mobile clinic needs to serve two or three communities at a time. Here in Khirbet Al Meiteh, some people need to walk half an hour from nearby communities to reach us,” Moaayd comments.

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“The mobile clinic covers part of the needs for our community in Wadi Al Maleh,” says Mahdi, a member of the community council. “We desperately need a permanent facility.”

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“I feel connected to the people here, and I understand their suffering because I live their experience too. When the community faced demolitions, I was there to help. Despite all our efforts, we need to do a lot more,” says Moaayd.

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14 June 2022 - Moaayd Daraghmeh is the driver of a mobile clinic for the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) operating in the Jordan Valley of the West Bank. He has been part of the clinic team for 10 years, working with communities in remote areas reliant on mobile clinics for access to essential primary health care. The communities face obstacles to planning and development, demolition orders that make their lives and livelihoods precarious and uncertain, and the underprovision of basic services.

“These communities face a lot of violations. The Red Crescent tried four times to assist with building six houses to provide emergency shelter, but each time the houses were demolished… We should be providing health services at least three times a week, but we cover communities in three districts of the Jordan Valley and there is only so much we can do. To reach all communities, the mobile clinic needs to serve two or three communities at a time. Here in Khirbet Al-Meiteh, some people need to walk half an hour from nearby communities to reach us,” Moaayd comments.

Khirbet Al-Meiteh is a community served by Moaayd’s team, located in Wadi Al-Maleh in the northern Jordan Valley, in the governorate of Tubas. The community of 300 people is situated in Area C, where Israel maintains civil and military control. It lies in an area designated as a firing zone, meaning severe restrictions on planning and development, including for roads, schools and health facilities. Residents rely on agriculture and pasture for their livelihoods, which are threatened by land confiscations and expanding settlements in the surroundings. There is lack of adequate protection for the communities, who experience settler- and occupation-related violence and who face loss of livelihoods due to destruction of crops and attacks against livestock.

The nearest permanent primary care facility is in Tubas, which would be around 30 minutes away by car without unpredictable checkpoint delays. Many in Khirbet Al-Meiteh do not have a vehicle, so the mobile clinic serves as a vital lifeline for the community. However, the community remains underserved, with expansion of service provision and establishment of permanent facilities needed.

“The mobile clinic covers part of the needs for our community in Wadi Al-Maleh,” says Mahdi, a member of the community council. “However, we desperately need a permanent facility. We tried to build two rooms last year to use them as clinics, but Israeli forces demolished the rooms. We’ve been unable to build them again due to lack of funding.”

The PRCS clinic Moaayd works for covers Tubas, Nablus and Jericho. Each community or cluster of communities served by the mobile clinic receives one or two visits a month. The clinic itself operates five days a week, providing primary health care on three days and services for women’s health on two days. The team consists of a driver, nurse and doctor, with a social worker joining the team on occasion. Recently, the PRCS community service programme was able to offer additional support to the communities in Wadi Al-Maleh, training youth in the provision of first aid to offer immediate support to injured persons and responding to the high numbers of casualties during demonstrations against settlement expansion.

“As a resident of Tubas, Wadi Al-Maleh is very close to my heart,” Moaayd says. “I feel connected to the people here, and I understand their suffering because I live their experience too. When the community faced demolitions, I was there to help. Despite all our efforts, we need to do a lot more. I’m happy we can provide at least basic health services, but our communities deserve comprehensive health care like all people.”