WHO confirms end of polio type 2 outbreaks in five African countries
Independent assessments closed outbreaks in Burundi, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Republic of the Congo and Uganda after response campaigns conducted between January and June 2026.
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The World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa has confirmed the closure of poliovirus type 2 outbreaks in five countries.
Burundi, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, the Republic of the Congo and Uganda completed Independent Outbreak Response Assessments between January and June 2026. The assessments verified that the outbreaks had been stopped.
The closures mark progress against circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2, which has caused sporadic outbreaks in parts of Africa in recent years. Response campaigns included vaccination drives and enhanced surveillance.
WHO Africa noted the results as evidence that coordinated outbreak responses can interrupt transmission when sustained. Remaining gaps in routine immunisation coverage continue to pose risk of future detections.
Global polio eradication efforts now focus on the two remaining endemic countries and on preventing re-emergence of vaccine-derived strains through stronger routine systems.
