Young doctors on the frontline: Delivering vaccines amid crisis

First-hand accounts from a polio outbreak in Gaza

How do you deliver a vaccination campaign in the middle of an outbreak - when hospitals are destroyed, the health system is collapsing, and resources are scarce?

In 2024, polio re-emerged in Gaza for the first time in decades. In response, two young Palestinian doctors, Waseem (25) and Majd (29), began working with WHO and CARE-USA to plan a vaccination campaign and help contain the outbreak. 

The vaccine can be life-saving - but how do you ensure every child receives three doses when families are displaced, supply chains are disrupted, and communication networks have broken down? And how can this be done while the health system itself is collapsing, amid relentless and unpredictable attacks?

In April this year, with scholarships, Majd and Waseem arrived in Dublin, where they now continue their medical work and studies. This October, they visit Denmark to share first-hand accounts from young doctors at the frontline of a collapsing health system.

In their talk, they explore how vaccination programs can be planned and delivered under crisis conditions - from outbreak response and logistics to the unforeseen challenges that arise along the way.

Join us for a rare opportunity to reflect on the intersection of health, crisis management, and human resilience - issues that reach far beyond medicine.

We welcome students and professionals from all disciplines.