WHO Calls for Sustained Efforts to Eradicate Polio in Africa

By Ali Mohammed Zanna, Maiduguri

The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, has called on African governments and international partners to strengthen vaccination programmes, surveillance and funding to achieve the complete eradication of polio on the continent.

Janabi made the call in his message to mark World Polio Day 2026, stressing that sustained political commitment, adequate financing and community participation were essential to protecting children from the preventable disease.

He said polio continued to pose a threat to children in some communities, causing irreversible paralysis and placing long-term physical, emotional and financial burdens on affected families.

According to him, the WHO African Region’s certification as free of indigenous wild poliovirus in 2020 demonstrated the impact of strong leadership and collective action.

He also disclosed that independent assessments had confirmed the closure of poliovirus type 2 outbreaks in Burundi, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, the Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

However, he warned that the detection of poliovirus type 1 in Madagascar, following the closure of an earlier outbreak in 2025, highlighted the risk of renewed transmission where vaccination coverage remained inadequate.

Janabi said more than 168 million children received at least one dose of polio vaccine through 55 vaccination campaigns conducted in 22 African countries between January and September 2026.

He commended health workers, community leaders and parents for their contributions to vaccination efforts, noting that cross-border cooperation was also helping countries reach children in mobile and vulnerable populations.

He cited coordinated campaigns conducted in March across Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Namibia, which vaccinated more than 10 million children.

The WHO regional director, however, expressed concern over funding shortages, warning that financial constraints were forcing countries to prioritise high-risk areas while leaving other vulnerable communities inadequately protected.

He identified the Lake Chad Basin and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as areas of particular concern because of continuing challenges in interrupting poliovirus transmission.

In the DRC, he said additional vaccination rounds required to respond to the type 2 outbreak remained unfunded, threatening progress towards the 2026 eradication targets.

Janabi emphasised that reaching children during vaccination campaigns was not enough unless they received all recommended doses and had access to reliable routine immunisation services.

He noted that conflict, displacement, geographical barriers and concerns about vaccines continued to prevent some families from accessing immunisation.

He called for stronger community engagement and improved access to health services to ensure that no child was left unprotected.

On surveillance, Janabi highlighted the importance of wastewater testing, geospatial technology and laboratory capacity in detecting poliovirus and guiding emergency responses.

He said laboratories across the WHO African Region tested more than 100,000 polio samples in 2025, with over 90 per cent analysed within agreed timelines.

He added that the expansion of sequencing capacity from two to four laboratories had improved the timeliness of sequencing results from below 50 per cent to nearly 70 per cent last year.

Janabi also highlighted the accreditation of Nigeria’s Maiduguri laboratory as an important development in strengthening regional polio surveillance and laboratory capacity.

He said emerging technologies, including Direct Detection Nanopore Sequencing, were being piloted to reduce laboratory turnaround times and accelerate the availability of results needed for outbreak response.

According to him, investments in polio programmes were also strengthening broader health systems, including emergency preparedness and responses to other public health threats.

He noted that African health ministers adopted the Regional Framework for Polio Transition and Sustainability in the WHO African Region 2026–2035 during the 76th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in August.

The framework aims to integrate polio-related capacities into national health systems while preserving expertise and strengthening routine immunisation and emergency preparedness.

Janabi acknowledged the contributions of Rotary International, governments, donors and other partners supporting the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

He called on governments to maintain political leadership and increase domestic investment in vaccination programmes, while urging development partners to provide predictable and sustained funding.

The WHO, he assured, would continue working with countries and communities to strengthen vaccination, surveillance and rapid outbreak response.

“Polio eradication is within reach,” Janabi said, emphasising the need for urgent action, accountability, sustained financing and political commitment to secure a polio-free future for every African child.