By Desire Uzochukwu
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday raised the alarm over funding shortages and persistent vaccination gaps threatening Africa’s efforts to eradicate polio, warning that hard-won gains could be reversed unless governments and international partners urgently step up investment.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, issued the warning in his World Polio Day 2026 message, calling for stronger political commitment, expanded routine immunisation and sustained surveillance to protect children across the continent.
“Polio eradication is within reach, but it requires an emergency mindset, swift action, sustained financing, strong accountability and political commitment,” Janabi said.
“We must protect our progress, strengthen routine immunization and ensure the resources needed to finish the job and secure a polio-free Africa for every child.”
His warning comes as poliovirus type 1 has been detected in Madagascar following the closure of an earlier outbreak in 2025, while transmission remains a major concern in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Lake Chad Basin.
More than 168 million children reached
Janabi disclosed that more than 168 million children received at least one dose of polio vaccine through 55 campaign rounds in 22 African countries between January and September 2026.
He said the continent’s certification as free of indigenous wild poliovirus in 2020 and the closure this year of poliovirus type 2 outbreaks in Burundi, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, the Republic of the Congo and Uganda demonstrated what sustained collective action could achieve.
However, he cautioned that progress remained fragile because funding constraints were forcing vaccination programmes to concentrate on the highest-risk locations, leaving other vulnerable communities without sufficient protection.
“In the DRC, additional vaccination rounds needed to respond to the type 2 outbreak are still unfunded, threatening progress towards the 2026 eradication goals,” he said.
The WHO regional director called on governments to increase domestic funding for vaccination and on development partners to provide reliable financial support for eradication activities.
Nigeria strengthens laboratory capacity
Nigeria has contributed to regional surveillance efforts through the accreditation of the Maiduguri laboratory, which Janabi said had strengthened Africa’s capacity to detect poliovirus and support faster outbreak responses.
Across the WHO African Region, laboratories tested more than 100,000 polio samples in 2025, with over 90 per cent analysed within agreed timelines.
The number of laboratories with sequencing capacity also rose from two to four, while the proportion of sequencing results delivered within the relevant timelines improved from below 50 per cent to nearly 70 per cent last year.
Janabi said new technologies, including Direct Detection Nanopore Sequencing, were being piloted to reduce laboratory turnaround times and speed up public health interventions.
He added that wastewater testing and geospatial mapping were helping health authorities identify virus circulation and locate communities missed by vaccination campaigns.
Conflict and vaccine concerns remain barriers
The WHO official warned that conflict, displacement, distance and concerns about vaccines continued to obstruct efforts to reach every child.
He emphasised that children must receive all recommended doses rather than a single dose to achieve adequate protection.
“Bringing services closer to families must go hand in hand with listening to parents and answering their questions respectfully,” Janabi said.
He also highlighted cross-border cooperation, citing coordinated campaigns in Angola, the DRC and Namibia in March that vaccinated more than 10 million children.
According to him, laboratory evidence showing genetic links between viruses helped countries coordinate their response, underlining the need for neighbouring states to share surveillance information and vaccination strategies.
Calls for sustained investment
Janabi said African health ministers had adopted the WHO Regional Framework for Polio Transition and Sustainability 2026–2035 in August, providing a roadmap for integrating polio expertise and infrastructure into national health systems.
The framework is expected to support routine immunisation, preserve surveillance capacity and strengthen emergency preparedness.
He thanked Rotary International, Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners and supporting donors for their contributions, while urging governments and partners to avoid funding interruptions.
“Every child should have the chance to grow up free from polio,” he said, describing the disease as a preventable cause of irreversible paralysis with lasting consequences for children and their families.
He reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to working with governments and communities to strengthen vaccination, surveillance and rapid response.
The agency’s message is clear: Africa’s progress towards polio eradication depends not only on reaching more children, but also on maintaining funding, completing recommended vaccination schedules and ensuring that vulnerable communities are not left behind.
