A vaccination campaign against polio will be launched in southern Madagascar. The Ministry of Public Health and its partners are mobilizing from August 11 to 14 to vaccinate children aged 0 to 5 in this area. The campaign will cover five regions, including Atsimo Andrefana, Ihorombe, Anosy, Androy, and Atsimo Atsinanana.
A case of polio was detected in the South a few months ago. The main objective of this initiative is to strengthen the overall immunity of children in these vulnerable areas. “Vaccination is the only defense against sudden paralysis linked to polio. Each dose received strengthens the child’s natural defenses,” health officials remind.
Polio remains a major public health concern in Madagascar. Although the country was certified “Polio Free” in 2025, the virus was detected again in Betioky Atsimo in an 18-month-old boy. According to the Ministry of Public Health, this child had never been vaccinated since birth.
Madagascar has been declared “Polio Free” twice, the first time in 2018, but the disease resurfaced in 2020. At the peak of the epidemic in September 2023, a total of 287 cases had been confirmed, including 45 cases of acute flaccid paralysis, 44 community cases, and 198 samples testing positive from environmental wastewater surveillance, according to a publication by the World Health Organization (WHO). This disease particularly threatens unvaccinated children.
Captured & Published at: 2026-08-04 06:38:34 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/08/sante-les-autorites-relancent-une.html