STORY: UN chief appeals for "polio pause" in Gaza for vaccination campaign
SHOOTING TIME: Aug. 16, 2024
DATELINE: Aug. 17, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:15
LOCATION: UN Headquarters
CATEGORY: POLITICS/HEALTH

SHOTLIST:
1. wide shot of UN Headquarters
2. pan left and zoom in of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres walking to podium
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
4. close up of camera
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
6. wide shot of Guterres talking to reporter
7. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
8. pan right and zoom out of Guterres leaving

STORYLINE:

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday called for a "polio pause" in Gaza for a polio vaccination campaign.

In recent weeks, poliovirus has been detected in wastewater samples in Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah, meaning that the virus, which can cause paralysis, is now circulating, with hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza at risk.

"Polio does not care about dividing lines, and polio does not wait," the UN chief told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York, stressing that preventing and containing the spread of polio will take a massive, coordinated and urgent effort.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
"Polio does not care about dividing lines, and polio does not wait. Preventing and containing the spread of polio will take a massive, coordinated and urgent effort. The United Nations is poised to launch a vital polio vaccine campaign in Gaza for more than 640,000 children under the age of 10. The World Health Organization has approved the release of 1.6 million doses of the polio vaccine. UNICEF is coordinating the delivery of the vaccines and the cold chain equipment to store them. And UNRWA, the largest primary healthcare provider in Gaza, has medical teams ready to administer the vaccines and assist with logistics."

"But the challenges are grave," with health, water, and sanitation systems in Gaza decimated, most hospitals and primary care facilities not functional, and people constantly forced to run for safety, Guterres pointed out.

He outlined other challenges facing the campaign, including transport for vaccines and cold chain equipment, the entry of polio experts, fuel for health teams, reliable internet and phone services, and an increase in the amount of cash to pay health workers.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General"And, above all, a successful polio vaccination campaign needs safety. Safety for health workers to do their jobs. Safety for children and families to get to the health facilities. And safety for those health facilities to be protected from bombardment."

The UN chief appealed to all parties to provide concrete assurances right away guaranteeing humanitarian pauses for the campaign.

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): ANTONIO GUTERRES, UN Secretary-General
"Let's be clear: The ultimate vaccine for polio is peace and an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. But in any case, a polio pause is a must. It is impossible to conduct a polio vaccination campaign with war raging all over. Polio goes beyond politics. It transcends all divisions. And so it is our shared obligation to come together. To mobilize -- not to fight people, but to fight polio."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from UN Headquarters.
(XHTV)