Malawi has launched a nationwide polio vaccination campaign after traces of a vaccine-derived polio virus were discovered in sewage water in Blantyre. Health workers are administering 1.7 million doses to children across schools and neighborhoods, with teams going door-to-door to ensure broad coverage.
Deputy Health Minister Charles Chilambula, who is leading the effort, said the vaccines are crucial.
“It’s very important that we do the vaccine now, because it also deals with this virus which we have detected,” Chilambula said. The Health Ministry confirmed that the campaign uses a new oral polio vaccine specifically designed to prevent circulating vaccine-derived Type 2 outbreaks.
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The initiative first targets children in eight districts before expanding nationwide to reach Malawi’s 22 million residents, UNICEF’s Malawi chief of health, Dr. Joe Collins Opio, said. He called on communities to “be part of the response.”
Mobile health workers, mainly women in matching blue dresses, carry vaccines in cooler boxes on foot, while motorbikes transport doses to remote areas. Open-air educational events complement the campaign, featuring speeches, music, and children holding signs advocating polio vaccination, the AP reported.
“Polio remains a threat,” said Dr. Akosua Sika Ayisi, a WHO public health specialist helping with the drive. She emphasized the importance of ensuring every eligible child “in every community” is fully vaccinated to support the global fight against polio.
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