Manama: The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) on Sunday signed a grant agreement with the World Health Organization (WHO) under which the fund will provide USD 2.5 million to finance a polio vaccination campaign in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Jordan. According to Kuwait News Agency, WHO Representative and Head of Mission in Kuwait, Asad Hafeez, emphasized the importance of this agreement in supporting vaccination campaigns for children in Gaza and neighboring countries. Hafeez noted that polio, while devastating, is fully preventable with timely vaccinations. He outlined the implementation of vaccination campaigns through field teams conducting door-to-door visits and community awareness activities to ensure comprehensive coverage. Hafeez expressed pride in the partnership with KFAED, aiming to meet the needs of the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach communities. He also highlighted Kuwait's contributions to vaccination efforts in Gaza and surrounding regions, helping protect children fro m polio. Hafeez extended his thanks to the Government of Kuwait and WHO for initiating this critical project, which is expected to launch soon, addressing disability prevention and long-term health issues among children. According to a statement by the Kuwait Fund, the project is anticipated to span approximately 12 months, covering multiple polio vaccination campaigns in the target areas. It will ensure adequate vaccine coverage and identify unvaccinated children. The project also involves organizing campaigns and enhancing community engagement to reduce the risk of international spread, monitor routes of displaced persons and border crossings, and support access to essential resources, including water, food, fuel, and hygiene supplies. The initiative aims to strengthen regional surveillance and laboratory activities to eradicate polio, including environmental surveillance in vulnerable areas and maintaining a network of 12 WHO-accredited polio laboratories in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The fund not ed that the proposed activities seek to enhance polio programs with laboratory equipment procurement, improved surveillance, secure sample transport, and capacity building to ensure health safety in high-risk countries.
