BICOM

Around 30,000 Israeli children under the age of nine received a polio vaccination on the first day of a nationwide programme yesterday. The national vaccination programme has been put in place earlier this month as an urgent response to the discovery of the virus firstly in the South of Israel, and subsequently in other areas. Some 50,000 children in southern Israel have already received the vaccination. Israeli health authorities are concerned that individuals carrying the virus but not showing symptoms could be passing it on, a process they are acting to prevent.

However, some parents and anti-vaccination groups have expressed concerns. One groups has petitioned the Israeli supreme court to stop the programme, though the hearing is not due for several weeks. Some parents are also refusing the vaccination for their children, which includes giving the child a weakened strain of the virus, citing concerns that this itself could cause harm. Health authorities however insist that the vaccination is safe, and say they are satisfied with the turnout so far, which exceeded their expectations.