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Polio this week

African youth issue open letter calling for renewed commitment to ending polio

Young advocates from across Africa have issued an open letter urging African leaders to sustain political commitment and investment in immunization, strengthen health systems and disease surveillance, and ensure that every child is reached with life-saving vaccines. The letter calls on leaders to help deliver a lasting victory against polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases. The appeal is part of the #KickOutPolio campaign, launched during the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) to harness the power of sport, athletes and youth advocates to mobilize support for polio eradication and childhood immunization across the continent.

Nigeria polio laboratory strengthens regional surveillance capacity

Nigeria’s National Polio Laboratory in Maiduguri has achieved WHO accreditation for Sanger sequencing of polioviruses, marking an important milestone for polio eradication efforts. The accreditation strengthens regional capacity to rapidly detect, characterize and track polioviruses, supporting faster outbreak detection and response while enhancing surveillance capabilities across the African Region.

Summary of new polioviruses this week

  • Afghanistan: five WPV1-positive environmental samples
  • Pakistan: ten WPV1-positive environmental samples
  • Libya: one cVDPV2-positive environmental sample
  • Nigeria: one cVDPV2 case, one cVDPV2-positive environmental sample and one cVDPV3-positive environmental sample
  • Somalia: one cVDPV2 case and three cVDPV2-positive environmental samples
  • South Sudan: one cVDPV1 case and one cVDPV1-positive environmental sample
Country updates as of 12 August 2026

More information on the countries that have reported cases and/or environmental samples this week.

  • No WPV1 cases were reported this week (most recent case: 25 June 2026). The total number of cases in 2026 is 15. The total number of cases in 2025 is 21.
  • Five WPV1-positive environmental samples were reported this week from Kandahar and Nangarhar (most recent positive environmental sample: 24 June 2026).

  • No WPV1 cases were reported this week (most recent case: 7 April 2026). The total number of cases in 2026 is three. The total number of cases in 2025 is 31.
  • Ten WPV1-positive environmental samples were reported this week from Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh (most recent positive environmental sample: 16 July 2026).

  • One cVDPV2 case was reported this week, from Zamfara, with onset of paralysis on 9 July 2026 (most recent case). The total number of cVDPV2 cases reported in 2026 is 31. The total number of cVDPV2 cases reported in 2025 is 66. 
  • One cVDPV2-positive environmental sample was reported this week from Federal Capital Territory, collected on 13 July 2026 (most recent positive environmental sample).
  • No cVDPV3 cases were reported this week. The total number of cVDPV3 cases in 2026 is eight (most recent case: 1 June 2026). The total number of cVDPV3 cases in 2025 is eight.
  • One cVDPV3-positive environmental sample was reported this week, from Oyo, collected on 16 July 2026 (most recent positive environmental sample).

  • One cVDPV2 case was reported this week from Gedo, with onset of paralysis on 22 June 2026 (most recent case). There are six cases reported in 2026. Two cases were reported in 2025. 
  • Three cVDPV2-positive environmental samples were reported this week, from Banadir and Hiran, collected in June and July 2026 (most recent positive environmental sample: 21 July 2026).

  • One cVDPV1 case was reported this week from Jonglei, with onset of paralysis on 2 July 2026 (most recent case). There are nine cVDPV1 cases reported in 2026.
  • One cVDPV1-positive environmental sample was reported this week from Central Equatoria (most recent positive environmental sample: 14 July 2026).
  • No cVDPV2-positive environmental samples were reported this week (most recent positive environmental sample: 12 May 2026).