WINDHOEK, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Namibia has launched a nationwide polio vaccination campaign targeting children under the age of 10, following the detection of poliovirus type 2 through routine environmental surveillance.
Speaking at the launch in the capital, Windhoek, late Monday, Minister of Health and Social Services Esperance Luvindao said the virus was detected in a sewage sample collected in November 2025 in Kavango East Region, emphasizing that there are no confirmed cases of polio in Namibia, which has been polio-free since 2006.
"This detection serves as an early warning signal, not a cause for alarm," Luvindao said, adding that environmental surveillance enables authorities to act quickly to prevent outbreaks before children are affected.
According to Luvindao, the national campaign focuses on children under 10, who are considered the most vulnerable to infection and transmission, especially of poliovirus type 2. Many children in this age group were born after routine vaccination against type 2 was discontinued, resulting in an immunity gap that now requires urgent attention.
The campaign will use the novel oral polio vaccine type 2, which was developed specifically for outbreak response, she said, adding that even children who are fully vaccinated under Namibia's routine Expanded Program on Immunization are required to receive the vaccine to strengthen community immunity.
Vaccination teams will be deployed through door-to-door visits and outreach at health facilities, schools, kindergartens, markets, and other public spaces, including remote and hard-to-reach areas, the minister said.
Implemented by the Ministry of Health and Social Services in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Health Organization, and other partners, the campaign will be carried out in two nationwide rounds from Monday to Thursday and from Feb. 24 to Feb. 27. ■