Africa: WHO Declares Polio Outbreaks Over in Five African Countries

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared polio outbreaks to be over in five African countries - Burundi, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, the Republic of Congo, and Uganda. This milestone was reached after intensive efforts, including targeted vaccination campaigns, epidemiological investigations, and expanded environmental surveillance.

These countries were confirmed to have interrupted transmission of poliovirus type 2, as per assessments conducted by the WHO's Independent Outbreak Response Assessment (OBRA) between January and June 2026. The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi, highlighted the role of national leadership, health workers, and collaboration among governments, communities, and partners in achieving this significant milestone.

However, Janabi emphasized that continued vigilance, strong surveillance, and high immunization coverage remain crucial to protect children and prevent future outbreaks. Despite this achievement, WHO warns that closing an outbreak doesn't eliminate the risk of future detections or reimportation of the virus. The organization stresses the importance of maintaining high-quality surveillance and strong population immunity, especially in light of recent poliovirus detections in Madagascar, after that country had previously declared its outbreak closed.