Polio vaccine in Malawi in the pipeline

The Ministry of Health and Sanitation has declared the initiation of the first phase of a polio vaccination campaign aimed at children under the age of 10 across eight districts in the Southern Region.

As stated by the Secretary for Health and Sanitation, Dr. Dan Namarika, this campaign is scheduled to take place from February 11 to 14, 2026, in the districts of Blantyre, Mwanza, Neno, Chikwawa, Nsanje, Thyolo, Zomba, and Chiradzulu.

All children under the age of 10 will receive the vaccine, irrespective of their previous completion of routine polio immunization.

This campaign is a response to the declaration of a polio outbreak following the identification of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in environmental samples obtained from two sewage treatment facilities in Blantyre.

The Ministry has noted that although the initial round is confined to eight districts, subsequent rounds of the campaign will be carried out nationwide in March and April, respectively.