Barran Press
Health authorities in Marib province reported that over 38,000 children under the age of five were vaccinated against polio on the first day of the second round of the nationwide immunization campaign.
The Director of Media and Health Education at the Marib Health Office confirmed that 38,097 children were vaccinated on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, representing 37% of the targeted children in the campaign.
The campaign, which aims to vaccinate over 100,000 children in Marib, has reached 24,701 homes, representing 38% of the total, across all villages, areas, residential communities, and camps for displaced people. 411 fixed and mobile teams are working continuously until July 17th to ensure all targeted children are vaccinated.
The immunization campaign commenced on Monday in Aden, the temporary capital of Yemen, and across all governorates under the control of the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
Meanwhile, health officials in Taiz, Yemen's most populous governorate, have expressed alarm over a potential health crisis in areas controlled by the Houthi rebels.
Tayser Al-Samie, the media official at the Taiz Health Ministry office, reported that 24 cases of polio have been recorded in Houthi-controlled areas since the beginning of 2024.
Al-Samie attributed the resurgence of polio to the Houthis' obstruction of vaccination campaigns. He warned of a potential "catastrophe" if the Houthi blockade on immunization efforts continues, stating that "the continued spread of polio means that many cases may suffer permanent disabilities due to this dangerous virus."
He further cautioned that cases originating from Houthi-controlled areas could spread to government-controlled governorates, highlighting the importance of nationwide vaccination.
In areas under the control of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, Al-Samie reported no polio cases due to frequent vaccination campaigns.
The Houthi rebels have been preventing polio immunization campaigns in their controlled areas for several years, spreading misinformation about vaccines and claiming they pose health risks and are part of a global conspiracy.
The Yemeni government has warned of a resurgence of polio in Houthi-controlled areas due to the group's obstruction of immunization efforts. The government has called on the United Nations and international organizations to intervene and allow medical teams to carry out their work.
The National Emergency Committee has stated that there is an outbreak of polio in Houthi-controlled areas, despite the fact that Yemen successfully eradicated the disease in 2006.