WINDHOEK, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Namibia is scheduled to conduct a nationwide polio vaccination campaign targeting children under 10 years old, health authorities said on Tuesday.
The countrywide campaign will take place from Jan. 26 to 29, followed by another round from Feb. 24 to 27, the Ministry of Health and Social Services revealed in a polio update.
In December, Namibia conducted its first campaign targeting the Kavango East and Kavango West regions, following the detection of circulating poliovirus type 2 in November 2025.
The ministry reports that there have been no cases of polio to date.
"As a precautionary measure to protect children, all children under the age of 10 years should receive the polio vaccine, even if they are already fully vaccinated through routine immunization schedules and sessions," the ministry said.
The campaign will be conducted through house-to-house, village-to-village visits, and at outreach mobile sites, health facilities, open markets, shopping malls, schools, kindergartens, and transit sites.
Although Namibia was declared polio-free in 2008, the country is still vulnerable to imported or vaccine-derived poliovirus, necessitating ongoing surveillance and recurring immunization campaigns. ■