A seven-year-traditional boy is receiving treatment for polio at a hospital in Malawi, as the country races to contain a newly detected outbreak with a mass vaccination campaign. Approximately 1.3 million children have been vaccinated in just four days, following the arrival of 1.7 million doses of the novel oral poliomyelitis vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) from the International Coordinating Group on Vaccine Provision on February 10, 2026.
The outbreak was declared after the virus was detected in environmental samples taken from sewage plants in Blantyre, Malawi’s second-largest city. This marks the first reported case in the country since 2022, when a wild poliovirus case – genetically linked to an outbreak in Pakistan – was confirmed.
“Polio is a debilitating disease that can depart one with lifetime disability and sometimes death. But the fine news is that it’s preventable through vaccination, good personal hygiene and sanitation,” said Dr. Charles Chilambula, Deputy Minister of Health and Sanitation, during the launch of the vaccination campaign.
The campaign, targeting children in eight districts of Malawi’s Southern Region, achieved approximately 97% coverage in its initial phase. Health officials are planning additional rounds to reach the roughly 42,000 children who were missed during the first four days. Blantyre District administered doses to 109% of its target population.
The resurgence of polio in Malawi follows a period of progress. In May 2025, the country celebrated its first anniversary after officially closing a reimported wild poliovirus outbreak. By January 2025, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) had classified Malawi as low-risk on its global polio watchlist, a testament to the country’s earlier response and surveillance systems. However, the detection of this new variant underscores the ongoing global threat posed by the virus.
The current outbreak involves a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV), which emerges when the weakened virus used in the oral polio vaccine circulates in areas with low immunization coverage and undergoes genetic changes. This can lead to the virus regaining the ability to cause paralysis. In 2024, Malawi successfully interrupted transmission of a reimported wild poliovirus, but the latest case demonstrates the vulnerability of even countries with established polio programs.
Health officials acknowledge challenges in maintaining high vaccination rates. Concerns about vaccine safety and misinformation are contributing to hesitancy among some parents. A recent survey of mothers in Blantyre revealed that half had little to no knowledge about polio, while others expressed skepticism about the vaccine. “My child is four years old but I don’t know much about the vaccine. I am also not interested in getting the child vaccinated. I feel my child has had enough vaccines in her life,” said Frida Seva, a 21-year-old mother.
Community engagement is crucial to overcoming these barriers. Social mobilizers, health workers, religious leaders, and traditional authorities are working to provide accurate information, address concerns, and build trust. In Ndirande township, initial reluctance from 84 households decreased to acceptance in 45 after targeted engagement efforts.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is facing a $1.7 billion funding shortfall for its 2022-2029 strategy, potentially limiting its ability to respond to outbreaks at the same scale as the recent effort in Malawi. Dr. Mike Chisema, Malawi’s Ministry of Health immunisation programme manager, noted that reduced funding impacts broader health services. “The funding space has really shrunk, and this has affected a lot of services that we offer concurrently on the emergencies that we face time and time again,” he said.
Malawi continues to conduct weekly and bi-weekly testing for poliovirus in various communities, promoting reporting of suspected cases to ensure swift response and prevent further spread. The Ministry of Health emphasizes the importance of continued vigilance and collaboration with stakeholders to protect children from this preventable disease.
