Health ministers from five Lake Chad Basin countries of Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger, Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) have launched a synchronised regional polio vaccination campaign aimed at immunizing over 83 million children under the age of five.
Already, about 1.1 million frontline workers, including vaccinators, social mobilisers, and monitors, have been mobilised for the exercise to ensure the protection of every child.
The five-day campaign is targeted at high-risk and mobile populations in border areas where surveillance indicators have remained below target and will strengthen efforts towards curbing the spread of the circulating variant poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2), which has continued to pose a serious public health threat across the region.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the initiative is a crucial milestone in the fight against variant poliovirus type 2, which continues to pose a threat to millions of children across the region.
The UN body revealed that variant poliovirus type 2 has been detected both in the environment (wastewater samples) and among affected individuals in Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria over the past 12 months, adding that a total of 210 detections have been reported across these four countries, out of which 140 resulted in paralysis.
It added that though no cases have been reported in CAR, these findings underscore the ongoing risk of cross-border transmission and the pressing need for coordinated regional action.
The WHO noted that over 50 per cent of the polio cases reported in Chad in 2024 are linked to the strain circulating in Cameroon, underlining the importance of coordination and synchronisation of polio response efforts.
It states that about 12 million children were vaccinated last year through mass immunisation campaigns to halt the spread of the virus, adding that the campaign is part of a broader strategy to ensure all children are protected, regardless of location or movement patterns.
Minister of Health of Chad, Dr Abdelmadjid Abderahim, said that the Lake Chad Basin remains a critical area in the fight against polio, adding that by coming together as a region, “we reinforce our commitment to ending polio once and for all.”
As part of the launch, the ministers will hold a closed-door meeting to discuss challenges, review epidemiological data, and strengthen cross-border cooperation.
The global health body noted that the event aligns with the Africa Regional Polio Eradication Action Plan and the Polio Eradication Cross-Border Coordination Plan 2024–2025, endorsed in August 2024 and updated in February 2025 to adapt to the evolving epidemiological situation on the ground, underscoring the region’s united commitment to protecting every child.
“Global health partners, including WHO, UNICEF, the Gates Foundation, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and Rotary International, will join the effort and reaffirm their commitment to polio eradication.
Community health workers, local leaders, and volunteers will also play a vital role in ensuring the campaign’s success. This event will coincide with African Vaccination Week under the theme ‘Immunisation for all is humanly possible.’
“The polio eradication initiative in the Lake Chad Basin demonstrates the power of collaboration in global health. By working together, governments, partners, and communities can ensure a polio-free future for children in the region and beyond,” it added.
