The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that funding shortages and gaps in vaccination coverage are threatening efforts to eradicate polio in Africa, despite millions of children receiving vaccines across the continent. The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, gave the warning in his message marking World Polio…...
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that funding shortages and gaps in vaccination coverage are threatening efforts to eradicate polio in Africa, despite millions of children receiving vaccines across the continent.
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, gave the warning in his message marking World Polio Day 2026, calling on governments to increase domestic investment and development partners to provide predictable funding for vaccination campaigns.
Janabi said that although significant progress had been made towards eliminating the disease, continued transmission and the emergence of new outbreaks showed that the continent could not afford to relax its efforts.
“Every child should have the chance to grow up free from polio. Yet a disease we can prevent still causes irreversible paralysis, changing children’s lives and placing lasting demands on their families,” he said.
The WHO official noted that the African Region’s certification as free of indigenous wild poliovirus in 2020 demonstrated the impact of sustained political leadership and collective action.
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He also cited independent assessments confirming the closure of poliovirus type 2 outbreaks in Burundi, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, the Republic of the Congo and Uganda this year.
However, Janabi said the detection of poliovirus type 1 in Madagascar, following the closure of an earlier outbreak in 2025, highlighted the risks posed by gaps in vaccination coverage.
According to him, more than 168 million children received at least one dose of polio vaccine between January and September 2026 through 55 vaccination campaigns across 22 African countries.
“Behind these figures are health workers travelling long distances, community leaders building confidence in vaccination, and parents bringing their children forward for protection. I thank them for their commitment,” he said.
Janabi also highlighted cross-border cooperation, noting that coordinated vaccination campaigns conducted in March across Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Namibia reached more than 10 million children.
He said laboratory evidence of genetically linked viruses helped guide the joint response among the three countries.
Despite these gains, the WHO regional director expressed concern that financial constraints were forcing health authorities to prioritise high-risk areas, leaving other vulnerable communities without adequate protection.
He identified the Lake Chad Basin and the DRC as areas of particular concern, adding that additional vaccination rounds required to respond to the type 2 outbreak in the DRC remained unfunded.
“These constraints are especially concerning in the Lake Chad Basin and the DRC, where transmission remains a major challenge,” he said.
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“In the DRC, additional vaccination rounds needed to respond to the type 2 outbreak are still unfunded, threatening progress towards the 2026 eradication goals.”
Janabi further stressed that administering a single dose of the vaccine was insufficient to guarantee protection, urging countries to strengthen routine immunisation services and ensure children received all recommended doses.
He said conflict, displacement, geographical barriers and concerns about vaccines continued to prevent some children from accessing immunisation services.
The WHO official called for stronger community engagement, urging health workers to listen to parents and address their concerns while expanding access to vaccination.
On disease surveillance, Janabi said improved laboratory capacity and technology were helping African countries detect and respond to outbreaks more quickly.
He disclosed that laboratories across the 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 last year.
Janabi also cited the accreditation of Nigeria’s Maiduguri laboratory as a boost to regional surveillance capacity, while noting that new technologies, including Direct Detection Nanopore Sequencing, could significantly reduce laboratory turnaround times.
He said the investments in polio surveillance and response could also strengthen countries’ capacity to manage other public health emergencies, including the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the DRC.
The WHO regional director called on governments to sustain political commitment and domestic funding, while urging international partners to provide reliable financial support.
“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.”