Malawi has exceeded its polio vaccination goals with over 7.3 million children vaccinated during a nationwide campaign using the innovative nOPV2 vaccine, bolstering efforts to eliminate the virus amid recent outbreak concerns.
Malawi has reported a strong result from its latest polio drive, with health authorities saying they vaccinated 7,368,425 children under the age of 10 in a nationwide campaign held from August 11 to 14. The Ministry of Health and Sanitation said the figure exceeded its target of 7,070,131 children, or 104 per cent of the planned total.
The campaign used the novel oral polio vaccine type 2, known as nOPV2, which is designed to help stop transmission of poliovirus and strengthen protection for children at risk. Health officials said the effort reached families in hard-to-access areas as well as urban centres, reflecting broad participation across the country.
The ministry thanked health workers, volunteers, traditional and religious leaders, parents, caregivers and partner organisations for helping mobilise communities. In a statement signed by Secretary for Health and Sanitation Dan Namarika on August 25, the ministry said the result showed strong public engagement, but stressed that the work must continue.
According to the World Health Organization, Malawi has been responding to a polio outbreak this year after a new circulating variant case was detected in late January, the first in the country since 2022. WHO said Malawi also mounted earlier rounds of vaccination in 2026, including a four-day campaign in the Southern Region and a second nationwide round in April, underscoring the push to raise immunity and prevent further spread.
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