The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that funding shortages and gaps in vaccination coverage are threatening Africa’s efforts to eradicate polio, urging governments and international partners to increase investment in immunisation and strengthen disease surveillance.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, gave the warning in his message to mark World Polio Day 2026, stressing that the continent must sustain its progress through consistent funding, effective outbreak response and stronger routine immunisation services.
Janabi said the detection of poliovirus type 1 in Madagascar, following the closure of an earlier outbreak in 2025, demonstrated how quickly progress could be threatened when some children and communities were left unprotected.
He noted that although the WHO African Region was certified free of indigenous wild poliovirus in 2020, continued vigilance remained necessary to prevent new outbreaks and protect children from the debilitating disease.
According to him, independent assessments this year confirmed the closure of poliovirus type 2 outbreaks in Burundi, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, the Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
However, he expressed concern that financial constraints were forcing countries to prioritise vaccination campaigns in the highest-risk areas, leaving other vulnerable communities without adequate protection.
The WHO regional director identified the Lake Chad Basin and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as areas of particular concern because of persistent poliovirus transmission.
He disclosed that additional vaccination rounds required to respond to the type 2 outbreak in the DRC remained unfunded, threatening the achievement of the 2026 eradication targets.
Janabi said more than 168 million children received at least one dose of polio vaccine through 55 campaign rounds conducted across 22 African countries between January and September 2026.
He commended health workers, community leaders and parents for their contributions to vaccination campaigns, noting that their commitment remained critical to reaching children in hard-to-access communities.
The WHO official also highlighted the importance of cross-border cooperation, citing coordinated vaccination campaigns conducted in March across Angola, the DRC and Namibia, which protected more than 10 million children.
He said cooperation among neighbouring countries, supported by laboratory evidence linking poliovirus strains, had strengthened efforts to reach children on the move and respond to cross-border transmission.
Janabi emphasised that vaccinating children once was insufficient, stressing that they must receive all recommended doses through campaigns and dependable routine immunisation services.
He explained that conflict, displacement, geographical barriers and concerns about vaccines continued to prevent some families from accessing immunisation.
He called for vaccination services to be brought closer to communities, alongside respectful engagement with parents to address their questions and concerns.
On disease surveillance, Janabi said wastewater testing and geospatial technologies were helping countries identify poliovirus transmission and locate communities missed during vaccination campaigns.
He disclosed that laboratories across the African Region tested more than 100,000 polio samples in 2025, with over 90 per cent analysed within agreed timelines.
He added that the number of laboratories with sequencing capacity increased from two to four, improving the timeliness of sequencing results from below 50 per cent to nearly 70 per cent in 2025.
Janabi identified the accreditation of Nigeria’s Maiduguri laboratory this year as another important step towards strengthening regional laboratory capacity.
He also highlighted the potential of emerging technologies, including Direct Detection Nanopore Sequencing, to reduce laboratory turnaround times and enable faster outbreak responses.
According to him, investments in polio surveillance and response are also strengthening health systems’ capacity to manage other emergencies, including the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the DRC.
He noted that 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, he explained, seeks 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, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners and donors, including Canada, the European Investment Bank, the Gates Foundation, Germany, the United Arab Emirates and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre.
He called on governments to maintain strong political leadership and increase domestic investment in polio eradication, while urging international partners to provide predictable and sustained funding.
The WHO, he said, would continue working with countries and communities to strengthen vaccination, surveillance and rapid response to outbreaks.
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Janabi stressed that although polio eradication remained achievable, reaching the goal required urgent action, sustained financing, accountability and political commitment.
He urged African countries to protect the gains already made, strengthen routine immunisation and ensure that every child receives the necessary protection against the disease.
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