The polio eradication efforts in the African Region have achieved significant milestones, notably the certification of the region as free of indigenous wild polio in August 2020. Since 1988, polio cases have decreased by more than 99.9%, preventing over 20 million disabilities and 900,000 polio-related deaths. The introduction and rollout of the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) is another landmark achievement, highlighting the region’s proactive approach to combating the disease. Despite the recent detections of wild poliovirus cases in Malawi and Mozambique, these cases do not affect the region’s certification status.
Current efforts focus on eliminating all forms of poliovirus, with special emphasis on timely detection of variant polioviruses and swift, high-quality outbreak responses. Strengthening routine immunization and environmental surveillance is crucial, especially in light of challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The fight against polio also underscores the importance of reaching ‘zero-dose’ children and integrating polio eradication tools to bolster broader health emergency responses and national health systems. Failure to eradicate polio could result in a global resurgence, with projections of up to 200,000 new cases annually if efforts wane
