Luanda: The first round of the national polio vaccination campaign to immunize children under five years of age is set to commence on Friday. The initiative will continue through Sunday and aims to curb the recent outbreak of poliovirus type 2 in the country.
According to Angola Press News Agency, the campaign receives support from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), which assists in vaccine procurement, community mobilization, and the training and supervision of vaccination teams. The primary strategy involves door-to-door vaccination efforts, supplemented by fixed posts and advance teams positioned in high-traffic areas such as markets, churches, and public transportation terminals.
Angola had previously been declared polio-free in 2015, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Angolan government, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, international partners, and thousands of local volunteers. However, ten years later, in 2025, the country is experiencing cases of the disease in four provinces, prompting the current vaccination campaign to address the outbreak.
