Polio vaccination campaign starts next week

The Ministry of Health and Social Services will roll out a nationwide polio vaccination campaign in two rounds.

This is especially to protect children under the age of 10.

The campaign follows the detection of poliovirus type 2 on 13 November 2025 through routine environmental surveillance from a sewage sample collected in Ndama, Rundu, in the Kavango East region.

Although no polio cases have been reported, the ministry says laboratory investigations have confirmed that the virus was genetically linked to cases reported in neighbouring Angola.

The first round of the national campaign will take place from 26 to 29 January, followed by a second round from 24 to 27 February.

Vaccination will be offered at health facilities, fixed and outreach sites and through door-to-door visits by trained teams.

Polio is mainly transmitted through the faecal-oral route, particularly where sanitation and hygiene are inadequate.

While children under five are at highest risk, the ministry says all children under 10 remain vulnerable in communities with low immunity.

Health executive director Penda Ithindi says, “every dose administered is critical to maintaining Namibia’s polio-free status”.

The ministry says polio vaccination drops are “safe, free of charge and life-saving”.

Ithindi urges parents and caregivers to cooperate with vaccination teams and to ensure children receive the vaccine in both rounds, including those already vaccinated during routine immunisation.

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