To interrupt the ongoing poliovirus transmission and protect children from childhood paralysis, the Ministry of Health, with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, GAVI, CDC, BMG, Rotary International, and other strategic partners in the fight against polio, is conducting the second round of the polio vaccination campaign from June 28 to 30, 2024.  

The campaign will take place in all districts of the provinces of Luanda, Zaire, Uíge, Malanje, Huambo, Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, and in some districts Bengo (Dande), Cuanza Sul (Sumbe, Porto Amboim, Cassongue), Benguela (Benguela, Lobito, Catumbela e Baia Farta) and Moxico (Luena, Alto Zambeze, Luau, Luacano). Out of the 18 provinces and 164 districts in Angola, the selection of these provinces/districts was based on three main factors, namely their border proximity with the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo considering higher risk of cross-border transmission, provinces that have reported poliovirus and districts in the main corridor of the Angolan capital.

The primary objective of this polio vaccination campaign is to increase the immunity of children under five in order to quickly interrupt the poliovirus transmission in the country. To achieve this goal and vaccinate 3,787,544 children under the age of 5 in the selected provinces, the campaign will engage 27,960 health workers and volunteers and 4,423,190 doses of polio vaccine will be used. 

During this vaccination campaign, the Government of Angola and its partners aim to achieve at least 95% administrative polio vaccination coverage in all districts, identify suspected cases of Acute Flaccid Paralysis, and raise awareness about the importance of routine vaccination and vaccination campaigns.

The first round of the vaccination campaign, held in May 2024, resulted into vaccination of more than 5.5 million children across the country covering the whole target group at risk. The government of Angola is conducting this mass vaccination campaigns in a response to a polio outbreak confirmed on February 27, 2024. Currently a total of 10 laboratory confirmed poliovirus were notified in the provinces of Luanda, Huambo, Lunda Norte and Moxico. Of these, four were detected in children under five and six in the environment. The investment in the surveillance capacity has resulted into timely detection and response to possible polio threats.

In this second round of the vaccination campaign, as in previous initiatives, vaccination teams will be going from house to house to ensure that no child is left behind unvaccinated. In addition, there will be fixed posts available in health facilities, markets, churches, schools, nurseries and other places of high population concentration.

Polio vaccination is essential to protect children against childhood paralysis.  With effective strategies and support from everyone, including families, communities, the media, the government and the leadership of local administrations, we can vaccinate all children and stop the transmission of poliovirus in Angola.