Gaza - September 01, 2024

Storyline:
A large-scale polio vaccination kicked off in Gaza on Sunday to prevent the spread of polio among children in the war-torn region, but it is too late for Abdul Rahman, an 11-month-old boy in Gaza, as he has been infected with the virus.

Nevin Abu Al-Jidyan lives in a refugee camp in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah with her nine children. One day she found her youngest son Abdul Rahman suddenly had fever and could not stop vomiting. She took him to a hospital and later the boy was diagnosed with polio, once one of the world's most feared diseases.

The highly contagious poliovirus can cause paralysis and death in the unvaccinated. Though it has been largely eradicated around the world, it can still thrive in unsanitary conditions and in places where vaccination rates are not high enough, such as Gaza, which health officials have said the immunization rates were at about 99 percent as recently as 2022, but have dropped significantly among babies because of the war.

Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza in response to the attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023 by Hamas forced Nevin Abu Al-Jidyan's family to leave northern Gaza and seek shelter in a refugee camp in central Gaza's Deir al-Balah. The family is deprived of clean food and water as their makeshift tent is located next to a toilet in the refugee camp, all of which have made it easier for the virus to spread.

Polio vaccination is generally recommended to begin within a few months of birth. However, living amid war, Abdul Rahman was not so lucky. Hit by the poliovirus, the boy cannot walk, stand or even crawl.

The health authorities of the besieged Gaza Strip announced on Saturday that the polio vaccination campaign would last from Sept. 1 to 12. For many anxious parents in Gaza, this announcement is a relief, but it is already too late for Nevin Abu Al-Jidyan and her son.

Shotlist:
Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip - Aug 30, 2024:
1. Various of tents in refugee camp;
2. People walking;
3. Various of Nevin Abu Al-Jidyan with her children;
4. Nevin Abu Al-Jidyan's son Abdul Rahman in battered car seat;
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nevin Abu Al-Jidyan, Gazan resident:
"Then I got a call from the local health authorities. They said my son is the first confirmed case of polio in Gaza (in 25 years)."
6. Various of Abdul Rahman sleeping in battered car seat;
7. Nevin Abu Al-Jidyan looking after her son;
8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nevin Abu Al-Jidyan, Gazan resident:
"He is one year old on Sept 1. Most children of his age have started to learn how to walk, but he cannot even move."
9. Abdul Rahman sleeping in battered car seat, being rocked by his mother
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Nevin Abu Al-Jidyan, Gazan resident (partially overlaid with shot 11)::
"The vaccine is of no use for my son, since he has been infected and is suffering it now. He supposed to live in a clean and healthy environment. Unfortunately, the war forces us to live under such harsh conditions."
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
11. Abdul Rahman in battered car seat;
[SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE]
Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip - Sept 1, 2024:
12. Various of children receiving polio vaccines;
Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip - Aug 30, 2024:
13. Various of refugee camp.

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