Millions of children across Malawi are from next week expected to receive an extra layer of protection against polio as the government intensifies efforts to keep the country free from the highly infectious disease.
The Ministry of Health and Sanitation will conduct the third round of the nationwide polio vaccination campaign from June 16 to 19, 2026, targeting all children under the age of 10 in every district.
Secretary for Health and Sanitation Dr. Dan Namarika announced the campaign in a statement saying that the exercise will cover children regardless of whether they received routine polio doses or were vaccinated in previous campaign rounds.
The Ministry said that vaccination teams will operate daily from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. through door-to-door visits by trained health workers, government and CHAM health facilities, and designated outreach sites.
Children vaccinated during the campaign will be marked with ink on their little finger for identification.
The Ministry said the campaign follows confirmation of a polio outbreak after detection of Circulating Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus Type 2 in environmental samples from Blantyre and a confirmed case in a child from Makhetha, Blantyre district.
To strengthen response efforts, health workers will administer the novel Oral Polio Vaccine Type 2, which the World Health Organization recommends for outbreak response. The Ministry said the vaccine is safe and effective.
The Ministry has urged parents, guardians, community and religious leaders to support the campaign and ensure every eligible child receives the dose.
The Ministry of Health and Sanitation will conduct the third round of the nationwide polio vaccination campaign from June 16 to 19, 2026, targeting all children under the age of 10 in every district.
Secretary for Health and Sanitation Dr. Dan Namarika announced the campaign in a statement saying that the exercise will cover children regardless of whether they received routine polio doses or were vaccinated in previous campaign rounds.
The Ministry said that vaccination teams will operate daily from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. through door-to-door visits by trained health workers, government and CHAM health facilities, and designated outreach sites.
Children vaccinated during the campaign will be marked with ink on their little finger for identification.
The Ministry said the campaign follows confirmation of a polio outbreak after detection of Circulating Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus Type 2 in environmental samples from Blantyre and a confirmed case in a child from Makhetha, Blantyre district.
To strengthen response efforts, health workers will administer the novel Oral Polio Vaccine Type 2, which the World Health Organization recommends for outbreak response. The Ministry said the vaccine is safe and effective.
The Ministry has urged parents, guardians, community and religious leaders to support the campaign and ensure every eligible child receives the dose.
