The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate, vaccinating children during the launch of the programme @ N’Djadmena, Chad. Photo: FMoH

In a major step toward eradicating variant poliovirus type 2, Ministers of Health from five Lake Chad Basin countries, namely Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Niger, and Nigeria have launched a synchronised regional vaccination campaign to immunize over 83 million children under the age of five.

The 5-day campaign, which will run from Thursday, April 24, to Monday, April 28, 2025, is a coordinated effort to curb the spread of the circulating variant poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2), which continues to pose a serious public health threat across the region.

In a statement released on its website, the World Health Organization says over the past year, 210 detections of the virus were recorded in Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria, with 140 resulting in paralysis.

While CAR has yet to report any cases, the international body warns that cross-border transmission remains a significant risk.

According to the WHO, the campaign will deploy about 1.1 million frontline health workers, including vaccinators, social mobilisers, and monitors, to reach high-risk and mobile populations, especially in underserved border communities where disease surveillance has lagged.

“The Lake Chad Basin remains a critical area in our fight against polio,” said Dr Abdelmadjid Abderahim, Minister of Health of Chad. “By coming together as a region, we reinforce our commitment to ending polio once and for all.”

It explains that in 2024 alone, nearly 12 million children across the region received polio vaccines through mass immunisation campaigns and the new synchronised effort will build on this momentum, as part of a broader Africa Regional Polio Eradication Action Plan and the Polio Eradication Cross-Border Coordination Plan (2024–2025), endorsed last year and recently updated to reflect changing epidemiological trends.

‘’Global health partners, including WHO, UNICEF, the Gates Foundation, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and Rotary International, will join the effort, reaffirming their commitment to polio eradication. Community health workers, local leaders, and volunteers will also play a vital role in ensuring the campaign’s success,’’ it states.

The campaign coincides with African Vaccination Week, themed “Immunisation for all is humanly possible,” reinforcing the global commitment to equitable access to life-saving vaccines.

It adds that the polio eradication initiative in the Lake Chad Basin demonstrates the power of collaboration in global health, and by working together, governments, partners, and communities can ensure a polio-free future for children in the region and beyond.

RN.