Polio Outbreak: Malawi Launches Nationwide Vaccination Campaign

Lilongwe, Malawi – Health officials in Malawi are launching a nationwide polio vaccination campaign this week, responding to a recent outbreak of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2). The campaign, beginning February 11th and running through February 14th, will initially target all children under the age of 10 in eight southern districts: Blantyre, Mwanza, Neno, Chikwawa, Nsanje, Thyolo, Zomba, and Chiradzulu.

The renewed effort follows the detection of the poliovirus in environmental samples collected from sewage treatment plants in Blantyre, and a confirmed case in a seven-year-old child from Makhetha, who was hospitalized at Mercy James Pediatric Hospital in Blantyre. This development is particularly concerning given that Malawi was declared polio-free by the World Health Organization (WHO) in May 2024, following a previous outbreak in 2022.

Polio is a highly infectious disease that primarily affects children. It can cause unexplained weakness in the limbs and difficulty walking, and in severe cases, can lead to permanent paralysis, as emphasized by Dan Namarika, Secretary for Health and Sanitation. Vaccination remains the most effective method of preventing the disease.

The current campaign will involve health workers conducting door-to-door visits to administer the oral polio vaccine. Vaccines will also be available at government and Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM) facilities, as well as designated vaccination sites. To track vaccination coverage, a small mark with indelible ink will be placed on the little finger of each vaccinated child. The vaccination teams will operate daily from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Health officials are stressing that the vaccine is safe and free of charge, and encourage all parents and guardians to have their children vaccinated, regardless of their previous immunization history. Further vaccination rounds are planned nationwide in March and April to broaden the scope of protection.

“Let us control the spread of the polio virus by getting all children less than 10 years old vaccinated during this campaign,” urged Dr. Namarika in a statement released on February 9th. “Together we can stop Polio.”

This latest response builds upon previous efforts, including a large-scale vaccination campaign in 2022 that extended beyond Malawi’s borders to include Mozambique, Tanzania, and Zambia. That campaign was supported by organizations such as UNICEF and the WHO.

The re-emergence of polio in Malawi highlights the ongoing global challenge of eradicating this disease. Polio spreads through contaminated water or food, making community-wide vigilance essential. The virus detected in Malawi was genetically linked to a sequence from Pakistan, detected two years prior in Sindh province, demonstrating the potential for international spread.

The WHO has noted that the risk of international spread of polio remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. The Emergency Committee on polio recently reviewed data from several countries, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen, and extended temporary recommendations to reduce the risk of international spread for another three months.

The current outbreak underscores the importance of maintaining high immunization coverage rates. Health experts emphasize that polio has no cure, making prevention through vaccination the only effective strategy. The Ministry of Health and Sanitation is urging all families to participate in this vital initiative, reaffirming its commitment to a polio-free future. Parents are encouraged to seek prompt medical attention for any child under 15 exhibiting sudden paralysis or limb weakness without a clear cause.

The campaign aims to administer 80 million doses of the bivalent oral polio vaccine to 23 million children, as recommended by the WHO, in an effort to halt the outbreak and protect vulnerable populations.