All the following may contribute to the low immunization rates in the eastern Sy

The WHO confirms that the cluster of paralysis cases among young children in the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zour, is now a breakout of polio. These are the first cases of polio reported in Syria since 1999. In a period to be linked directly to the ongoing civil war, most of the children who weren’t properly vaccinated against the virus have been paralyzed under the age of two. Immunization rates in Syria have plummeted as hospitals have been destroyed, doctors have fled the country, and the country’s health care system has collapsed in the conflict. The WHO has launched a mass immunization campaign in both rebel held and government controlled parts of Syria to try to vaccinate 1.6 million kids against measles and polio.