Countries in the Horn of Africa and Yemen recommit to ending variant poliovirus

Countries: Yemen, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan Source: World Health Organization Geneva, Switzerland – During the Interministerial Meeting on Polio in the Horn of Africa and Yemen, held on the sidelines of the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly (WHA79) on 20 May 2026, countries reaffirmed their commitment to ending variant poliovirus transmission through stronger cross-border coordination, strengthened surveillance and synchronized action. The meeting was jointly convened by the WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) and the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO), and chaired by WHO Regional Director for Africa, Professor Mohamed Janabi. Bringing together Ministers of Health and senior government representatives from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen, alongside Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partners and representatives from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the meeting focused on accelerating regional collaboration to stop transmission in one of the world’s most interconnected and complex polio epidemiological settings. The Horn of Africa and Yemen jointly remain one of the world’s most challenging polio epidemiological subregions, shaped by population movement across porous borders, humanitarian crises, insecurity and persistent immunity gaps. Countries in the bloc continue to face outbreaks of variant poliovirus, including Somalia’s prolonged variant poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) outbreak, first detected in 2017 and Yemen’s ongoing cVDPV2 outbreak, which has paralysed 452 children – most of whom are in the northern governorates – since 2021. Despite these challenges, recent progress demonstrates that coordinated action is yielding results. Kenya has reported no poliovirus cases since July 2024, Ethiopia has achieved a 98% reduction in det...

Original source: Relief Web