In a significant push to eradicate variant poliovirus type 2, the ministers of health from five Lake Chad Basin countries – Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Niger, and Nigeria – have launched a synchronised regional vaccination campaign targeting over 83 million children under the age of five.
The five-day campaign, scheduled to run from Thursday, April 24, to Monday, April 28, 2025, represents a coordinated effort to combat the spread of the circulating variant poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2), which continues to pose a serious public health threat across the region.
According to a statement released by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the region has recorded 210 detections of the virus in the past year across Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria, with a concerning 140 cases resulting in paralysis.
While CAR has not yet reported any cases, the WHO warns of the persistent risk of cross-border transmission.
The ambitious campaign will deploy approximately 1.1 million frontline health workers, including vaccinators, social mobilisers, and monitors.
Their mission is to reach high-risk and mobile populations, particularly in underserved border communities where disease surveillance has been challenging.
“The Lake Chad Basin remains a critical area in our fight against polio,” stated 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.”
The WHO highlighted that nearly 12 million children across the region received polio vaccines through mass immunisation campaigns in 2024 alone.
This new synchronised effort will build upon this momentum, forming part of the broader Africa Regional Polio Eradication Action Plan and the Polio Eradication Cross-Border Coordination Plan (2024–2025), which was endorsed last year and recently updated to reflect evolving epidemiological trends.
Global health partners, including WHO, UNICEF, the Gates Foundation, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and Rotary International, are joining forces in this crucial undertaking, reaffirming their unwavering commitment to polio eradication.
Community health workers, local leaders, and dedicated volunteers will also play an indispensable role in ensuring the campaign’s success.
The timing of the campaign coincides with African Vaccination Week, themed “Immunisation for all is humanly possible”, underscoring the global dedication to ensuring equitable access to life-saving vaccines.
This collaborative polio eradication initiative in the Lake Chad Basin exemplifies the power of unity in global health. By working together, governments, partners, and communities aim to secure a polio-free future for children in the region and beyond.
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