World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday urgently called for a ceasefire in Gaza to allow vaccination campaigns to take place, nine days after the organization declared the Gaza Strip “polio epidemic zone”.

Hanan Balkhi, director of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean office in Cairo, assured the hearing that “we have found vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 variant (VDPV2) in environmental samples across the Gaza Strip,” and although no cases have been identified yet, “the risk to children is high and we must act quickly.”

His statement came shortly after the UN Refugee Agency (UNRWA) announced today that 80% of children in the Gaza Strip have been vaccinated since the war between Israel and Hamas began ten months ago, and that he is preparing a polio vaccine intended for children under 8 years of age.

Vaccinations have “helped slow the spread of preventable diseases, despite inhuman living conditions“UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini wrote on his X social media profile.

On the other hand, Balkhi stressed that the last two weeks have “revealed the extent of the emergency in the region” due to the discovery of different strains of the polio virus, which adds to military attacks in the area, the declaration of famine in Darfur (Sudan) and recent heat waves.

“Let me be clear: we need a ceasefireeven a temporary ceasefire, to successfully carry out these campaigns. Otherwise, we risk further spreading the virus,” he said.

The Director said WHO had facilitated the medical evacuation of more than 100 critically ill patients from Gaza and noted that more than 10,000 more people require medical evacuation due to the conflict.