Health Ministers in the Horn of Africa Unite to Strengthen Polio Eradication Initiatives

For almost ten years, countries in the Horn of Africa have faced ongoing outbreaks of the poliovirus. This issue stems from several challenges: low child vaccination rates, unmonitored population movements, and difficulties in reaching kids in unsafe areas. To combat these challenges, health ministers from the region recently committed to intensifying their efforts to eradicate polio.

During the World Health Assembly in May 2025, these ministers, along with partners from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), agreed to create a new coordination body. This team will ensure that the countries work together effectively. Key actions will include synchronized vaccination drives and improved surveillance for poliovirus, especially along border areas.

One significant step taken recently was a synchronized vaccination campaign that successfully reached over 18 million children across Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia from February to April 2025. During these campaigns, the three countries shared real-time data about vaccination efforts and any detected cases of poliovirus to make sure all children received the necessary immunizations.

In Ethiopia, over 15 million children were vaccinated, particularly in the Somali region. Meanwhile, in Kenya, nearly a million children got the vaccine, especially in high-risk areas near its borders. In Somalia, health workers went door-to-door in 76 districts, reaching about 2.4 million of the targeted 2.5 million children. In Djibouti, about 155,000 children were vaccinated in April to boost their immunity against the virus after it was detected in environmental samples.

Efforts to detect the poliovirus are also underway. A joint surveillance review across countries is helping focus on high-risk areas. In Kenya, although there haven’t been any new cases in 2025, symptoms related to polio have shown up in refugee camps, highlighting the ongoing risk. Somalia, meanwhile, continues to contend with variant poliovirus spread, with cases paralyzing seven kids last year. However, no new cases have been reported so far this year.

As Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, Acting WHO Regional Director for Africa, noted, this strong cooperation in vaccination reflects a commitment to regional unity against polio. “By working together, we ensure we make progress in eliminating polio,” he said. Dr. Hanan Balkhy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, emphasized that diseases like polio don’t realize borders exist. He called for collective efforts to ensure every child receives vital vaccines and to ramp up measures to track and combat polio’s spread.

The importance of cross-border collaboration was highlighted in September 2024 at a meeting in Kampala, where health representatives from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Tanzania, and Uganda focused on bolstering their collective vaccination strategies. With this united front, there is hope for a brighter future for children in the Horn of Africa.

Source link