WHO- Africa launches largest polio vaccination drive targeting 21 million children

DRC— The World Health Organisation (WHO) regional center in Africa has announced a polio immunization drive targeting 21 million children under the age of five in Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic, and Niger.

The initiative is supported by WHO’s Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and the corresponding countries’ national health authorities and comprises synchronized vaccinations and joint plans in border communities to halt polio transmission.

It’s the largest polio vaccination campaign in the region post-COVID-19 specifically targeting children under five years.

This comes in response to 14 detections of type-2 poliovirus in the countries so far this year i.e., one sample from environmental surveillance in Niger tested positive, six confirmed cases were reported in Chad, and seven in the Central African Republic.

No cases have been reported this year in Cameroon, which neighbors Chad and the Central African Republic, but the country has joined the vaccination campaign to avert any potential spread of the virus, particularly in border areas.

Furthermore, the Lake Chad region, which includes three of the four target countries, is grappling with one of the world’s most protracted incidents of armed violence.

Unfortunately, it is also home to one of the highest proportions of so-called “zero dose” children globally, who are either unvaccinated or under-vaccinated.

“This is a crucial undertaking to close vaccination gaps in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and will provide millions of children with vital protection from the risk of irreversible polio paralysis,” said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.

All four countries have made huge efforts to bolster polio detection, curb the spread of the virus and protect children from the risk of infection and lifelong paralysis.

However, despite all being certified free of indigenous wild poliovirus (the naturally circulating strain), the ongoing circulating variant poliovirus type 2, the most prevalent form of polio, persists.

Health workers, with support from WHO, are now also administering vaccines in homes, as well as at religious centres, markets, and schools.

Across the countries, governments have continued to improve the quality of immunization activities, bolstered by the broad implementation of supplementary immunization campaigns.

These are targeted at addressing the residual risks for all forms of poliovirus, while also boosting routine immunization at country level.

In addition, door-to-door implementation has eased the burden on parents to transport their children to health facilities for vaccination.

Religious and community leaders, as champions of poliovirus eradication, also help to mobilize caregivers to vaccinate their children against not only polio, but all preventable diseases.

Importantly, reliable data is crucial for effective disease surveillance and outbreak response.

In the wake of the ongoing outbreaks of circulating variant poliovirus, countries have also stepped-up surveillance to detect cases.

“The use of Geographic Information Systems tools, including Open Data Kit, is also accelerating the response to alerts of potential polio cases, helping curb the spread of the virus,” said Dr. Richelot Ayangma, GPEI lead in West and Central Africa.

WHO, Rotary International, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, along with the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, have also joined forces behind “The Big Catch Up”.

This is a targeted global effort to boost essential immunization among children following declines driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wild Polio elimination journey

In 2020, a momentous achievement in global health and the eradication of polio was reached with the certification of the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region as free from wild poliovirus.

Nigeria, the last remaining polio-endemic country in Africa, accomplished a significant feat in 2019 by completing three consecutive years without any evidence of wild poliovirus transmission. This pivotal milestone paved the way for the official regional certification process to commence.

The Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) for wild poliomyelitis eradication meticulously reviewed and accepted the documentation submitted by 43 African countries.

As a result, only four countries—Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Nigeria, and South Sudan—remained under scrutiny.

Once the WHO African region is officially certified as having eradicated wild poliovirus, it will join five of the six WHO regions that are already considered polio-free, encompassing more than 90% of the world’s population.

This achievement stands in stark contrast to the grim situation in 1996, when 75,000 children in Africa were left paralyzed by the debilitating disease.

It was during a gathering of African heads of state in Cameroon that year that a resolute commitment was made to eradicate polio from the continent.

However, the fight against polio is far from over. To ensure its eradication, it is crucial to maintain a sustained focus on conducting high-quality immunization campaigns.

Global health officials and experts stress the continued need for robust fundraising efforts and advocacy.

These measures are vital not only for safeguarding the progress made in Africa but also for advancing towards the ultimate goal of a polio-free world.

For all the latest healthcare industry news from Africa and the World, subscribe to our NEWSLETTER, and YouTube Channel, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, and like us on Facebook.