On World Polio Day, Africa has reported 134 new cases of polio across at least seven countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s regional director for Africa, confirmed that the circulating variant of polio type 2 has been identified in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria.
A recent UNICEF analysis revealed that 541 children worldwide were affected by polio in 2023, with 85 percent of cases occurring in 31 fragile, conflict-affected, and vulnerable countries. Over the past five years, polio cases in these regions have more than doubled, while routine childhood immunization rates have declined from 75 percent to 70 percent, significantly below the 95 percent threshold needed for community immunity.
The global decline in childhood immunization rates has contributed to a rise in polio outbreaks, even in countries that had previously been free of the disease for years. This trend is particularly concerning in conflict-affected areas, where 15 out of 21 countries—such as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen—are currently facing polio challenges.
In response to the surge in polio cases, UNICEF and its partners have intensified emergency measures. In Gaza, for example, UNICEF, in collaboration with WHO, successfully vaccinated nearly 600,000 children under the age of 10 during the initial phase of a polio vaccination campaign launched in mid-September. The second phase of the campaign has also been executed in southern and central Gaza, although ongoing mass displacements and bombings have hindered efforts in the northern region. This marks the return of polio to Gaza after a 25-year absence.
In Sudan, the national childhood vaccination rate has plummeted from 85 percent before the conflict to just 53 percent in 2023, with active conflict zones reporting coverage as low as 30 percent. In response, UNICEF and its partners have conducted two emergency polio vaccination campaigns, reaching 2.9 million children under five through door-to-door efforts.
Effective polio vaccination initiatives in fragile and conflict-affected regions are crucial for preventing further cases and protecting vulnerable children. Humanitarian pauses are essential to ensure healthcare workers can safely access children and administer vaccines.
