Africa’s largest polio vaccination campaign since 2020 kicks off today in three West and Central African countries, in a combined effort by national health authorities to immunise a total 21 million children under the age of five.
The exercise, which will begin in Cameroon, Chad and Niger before being extended to the Central African Republic next week, comes in response to 14 detections of type-2 poliovirus in the countries so far this year: 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 neighbours 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.
