On Friday, the Zimbabwean government officially declared a polio outbreak within the country and announced plans for a vaccination campaign commencing on February 20th.

During a press conference, Deputy Minister of Health and Child Care Sleiman Kwidini emphasized the need for calm among the public, assuring them that the government has taken prompt measures to address the outbreak.

Kwidini stated that laboratory tests conducted by his ministry confirmed the presence of a Type 2 circulating poliovirus variant in environmental samples collected from sewage sites in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital, toward the end of 2023. Additionally, a similar variant was identified in a 10-year-old child in a different province.

He explained that both instances involved a rare type of the virus, which can develop when the weakened live virus present in oral polio vaccines mutates over time, becoming capable of spreading within the community.

“The detection of these viruses in the environment or in humans constitutes a polio outbreak in the country. While the news is concerning, we as a ministry would like to reassure the public that we have taken swift action to investigate and contain the outbreak to prevent any further spread that may occur,” he said.

Kwidini mentioned that the government has planned two rounds of polio vaccination campaigns for children under the age of 10. The first round is set to occur from February 20th to March 1st, followed by the second round scheduled between March 19th and 29th.

“Given the contagious nature of circulating polioviruses and their capacity to evolve over time to a type that causes serious disease and debilitating paralysis, the ministry strongly encourages all parents and caregivers of children to ensure that all children below 10 years of age are vaccinated against polio and protected,” he said.

The minister noted that numerous neighboring countries in the region, such as Botswana, Zambia, Burundi, Rwanda, Malawi, and Mozambique, have also reported cases of polio and are collaborating with Zimbabwe to manage the outbreak.