Sudan launches polio vaccination campaign to protect 11 million children
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The Federal Ministry of Health of Sudan is launching a nationwide vaccination campaign to protect 11 million children from poliovirus.
The ministry is working with the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund to deliver the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 during October and November 2026. This initiative follows the circulation of a variant poliovirus in the country since December 2024 and confirmed cases in six children and three wastewater samples in 2026.
The campaign aims to reach children who have lost access to routine health services because of a conflict that began in 2023. The first round of vaccinations will occur in two phases. The first phase runs from 26 to 29 October and targets 6 million children across 12 states. The second phase will target 5 million children in 79 localities across the five Darfur states and West Kordofan during the first week of November.
Health workers and volunteers will navigate security and access challenges to reach households throughout the country. To prevent the international spread of the virus, Sudan is coordinating with Chad, Ethiopia, and South Sudan, which are also running vaccination campaigns during the same months. Vaccinators will also work at border transit points to reach mobile populations.
In areas bordering South Sudan, workers will provide both the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 and a bivalent oral polio vaccine to block the importation of a type 1 variant poliovirus outbreak.
