Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom reported that polio vaccine in Gaza is not safe, and might spread the disease in the Gaza Strip and Israel. Social media users and accounts widely shared the news causing fear among citizens of children receiving the vaccine.
So, what’s factual and what’s false?
Israel Hayom Claims Gaza Vaccines Are Unsafe
In a report published by Israel Hayom on 26 August 2024, the newspaper claimed that the polio vaccines sent to the Gaza Strip are unsafe and could spread the disease in Israel and Gaza instead of eradicating it.
A group of Israeli scientists, including Dr. Yoav Yehezkeli and Professor Shishom Levy, warned that the types of vaccines being brought to Gaza pose a “real danger” and that they are experimental vaccines sent to Gaza based on a live, but weakened, polio virus.
Yehezkeli and Levy added that the vaccine brought to Gaza is not recognized in the West and is prohibited for use in Israel. “The nOPV2 vaccine, designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) for Gaza’s children, has not been approved for use in any Western countries, and its clinical trials have not yet been completed.”
Adding that Gaza would be used as a testing lab by WHO, with Gaza’s children serving as guinea pigs for this vaccine.
Palestinian Influencer on Instagram Casts Doubt on the Vaccine
Palestinian influencer from Gaza, Bisan Odeh who’s followed by 4.7 million followers at the time of publishing this report posted a video on her Instagram titled: “Share this video on the first day of the vaccination campaign. What do you think? I want justice, peace, and painless days for my people”.
In the video, Odeh expressed doubts about the vaccination campaign and questioned whether the Israeli occupation, which has killed more than 17,000 children in Gaza, is now concerned with saving their lives.
After raising several questions, she stated that she trusts no one, not even international organizations. She further added that children might be killed on their way to receive the vaccines or on their way back.
Kashif Debunks the Claims
Kashif reached out to relevant Palestinian and international authorities, conducted research on publicly available sources, and concluded that the vaccine is safe, with no clinical trials showing any health risks. Over a billion children in 35 countries have received this vaccine. The report provided the following findings:
Firstly: Dr. Ahmed Al-Farra, Head of the Pediatric Department at Nasser Medical Complex, denied the doubts and rumors about the polio vaccine.
Dr. Al-Farra, clarified to Kashif that the vaccine is safe, and has been administered to millions worldwide, and has been used in dozens of countries without proven side effects or complications. He added that this vaccine is essential for preventing polio infection.
Dr. Al-Farra further explained that the “nOPV2” vaccine given to children in Gaza is administered orally in two stages: the first stage involves giving two drops of the vaccine, and the second stage, four weeks later, involves giving another two drops. This vaccine is recommended for children under the age of 10.
Secondly: UNICEF’s spokesperson in Palestine, Kazem Abu Khalaf, confirmed to Kashif that the vaccine was approved by WHO and has been tested on millions worldwide.
Abu Khalaf added to Kashif that the Ministry of Health coordinates with WHO and approves the vaccine, while UNICEF is responsible for purchasing and delivering it to Gaza. The campaign is expected to target around 650,000 children under the age of 10 in Gaza.
Thirdly: The vaccine underwent clinical trials
Despite the Israeli newspaper’s claim that the vaccine’s clinical trials are incomplete, WHO clarified that the vaccine has undergone several clinical studies. These studies, presented at the WHO Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety meeting and published in the WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record on August 11, 2023, indicated that “clinical trials and observational studies provided safety data from about 12,000 participants ranging from newborns to adults in seven countries. Currently, the available clinical trial data show no concerning safety signals.”
Fourthly: The vaccine is not limited to Gaza
WHO data indicates that since March 2021, “nOPV2” has been used in response to outbreaks under WHO’s Emergency Use Listing (EUL). By December 2023, approximately one billion doses of the vaccine had been administered in 35 countries. In December 2023, “nOPV2” received full approval from the Indonesian regulatory authority (Badan POM) and WHO prequalification (PQ).
Fifthly: The letter cited by Israel Hayom in its report included incitement against WHO
Israel Hayom based its report on a letter issued by Israel’s General Emergency Council for the Corona Crisis, addressed to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Health Minister Oriol Buso in the Israeli government. The letter was published by Yoav Yehezkeli, a member of the Emergency Council, on his Facebook account on 26 August 2024.
After scrutinizing the nine points in the letter, Kashif’s team found that three points incited against WHO:
Point 7: WHO is calling for a ceasefire to implement the vaccination campaign. WHO, along with the UN and its affiliates like UNRWA, played a role in inciting against Israel during the war, which raises suspicions of politicizing the vaccine issue.
Point 8: WHO is making changes to its documents, which many countries, including Israel, oppose. It cannot be guaranteed that the vaccination campaign will not be exploited for this purpose.
Point 9: Regardless of the anti-Israel policies, Israel should be cautious in cooperating with WHO to avoid accusations of collaborating in experimenting with a new vaccine, especially this vaccine for Gaza’s children, which involves the risk of serious diseases.
Information on the Children’s Vaccination Campaign in Gaza
160,000 children received the first dose of the vaccine in the central governorate.
The Ministry of Health clarified on Tuesday, 3 September 2024, that approximately 160,000 children received the first dose of the polio vaccine in the Central Governorate of Gaza on Sunday and Monday.
The vaccination campaign will continue in the Central Governorate until Wednesday evening, 4 September 2024. The campaign will start in Khan Younis and surrounding areas on Thursday morning, 5 September 2024, and last for four days, while it will begin in Gaza and the northern areas on Monday morning, 9 September 2024, and will also last for four days.
Both the Ministry of Health, WHO, UNICEF, and UNRWA are working in fixed and mobile centers affiliated with the Ministry of Health and UNRWA to organize the children’s vaccination campaign.
350,000 Additional Polio Vaccine Doses Arrive in Gaza
Palestinian Health Minister Dr. Majed Abu Ramadan announced Tuesday, 3 September 2024, that “an additional 350,000 doses of polio vaccines arrived in Gaza on Tuesday evening and were stored in cold chain refrigerators at the Ministry of Health’s warehouses in Deir al-Balah in coordination with UNICEF”.
He added that “this is the second batch of vaccines that has arrived in Gaza, bringing the total number of doses to around 1.6 million, which is enough to vaccinate all children from birth to 10 years old with two doses of the vaccine”.
