Over 5 Million Children Recieving Polio Vaccinations

The second round of the Republic of Angolia's national polio campaign was inaugurated in Ondjiva, Cunene last week. The government has deployed personnel in all 18 provinces in the Republic of Angola.

This polio campaign is on a mission to vaccinate more than 5.4 million children under the age of five throughout the southern African country. 

The first round took place in early September 2023.

The urgency and significance of the polio vaccination initiative are unmissable, wrote the World Health Organization (WHO) on October 13, 2023. Given the rising cases of polio in the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, this vaccination drive is important.

The DRC recently reported 12 cVDPV1 cases, seven cVDPV2 cases and six cVDPV2-positive environmental samples, bringing the total number of cVDPV1 cases this year to 73 and cVDPV2 cases to 97 in 2023.

Moreover, the WHO is leading on the independent monitoring and Lot Quality Assurance Sampling components, which are crucial for the campaign's success.

Such involvement in the campaign is also possible due to partners such as the Global Polio Eradication initiative, UNICEF and Rotary, who have all played integral roles, fortifying the campaign's efforts in Angola.

These organizations have successfully deployed nOPV2 polio vaccines targeting polio outbreaks in Africa in 2022 and 2023.