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Polio this week

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Global leaders pledge US$1.9 billion in Abu Dhabi to end polio and protect children worldwide

Meeting this week in Abu Dhabi, international leaders, philanthropists and global health partners announced a collective US$1.9 billion in pledges towards polio eradication.  The event was hosted by the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity, convening leaders from governments, civil society, philanthropy and global health from across the world.  All stood shoulder to shoulder, powerfully demonstrating that governments, communities and civil society remain fully united behind this mission.  More.

African Footballers star in Kick Polio Out campaign ahead of AFCON 2025

As millions of fans prepare for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025, six celebrated African footballers are calling time on polio and urging the continent to unite and kick the disease out of Africa.  Sébastien Haller (Côte d’Ivoire); Naby Keïta (Guinea); Fabrice Ondoa (Cameroon); Rodolfo Bodipo Díaz (Equatorial Guinea); Michael Essien (Ghana); and Bruno Ecuele Manga (Gabon) star in the “Kick Out Polio” campaign, which will run throughout AFCON 2025.  More.

GPEI welcomes Rotary’s Michael McGovern as next Polio Oversight Board Chair

The GPEI is pleased to announce that Michael (Mike) McGovern, Chair of the International PolioPlus Committee, Rotary International, will serve as the next Chair of the Polio Oversight Board (POB), effective 1 January 2026.  After five years of dedicated service as the GPEI’s POB Chair, Dr Chris Elias, President of Global Development, Gates Foundation, will hand over the role.  More.

Polio EB report published

The polio report for the upcoming WHO Executive Board meeting (EB), taking place in Geneva during the week of 2 February 2026, has now been published. This report will inform Member State discussions at the EB. It provides an overview of progress in implementing and financing the Polio Eradication Strategy, including in the current geopolitical context. It also outlines ongoing planning to secure a lasting polio-free world, such as polio transition efforts and the development of Sustaining a Polio-free World: A Strategy for Long-term Success.  The link to the report is available here.

 SAGE report published

The full report from the recent Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunization (SAGE) meeting has now been published.  On polio eradication, SAGE endorsed two important innovations for polio. It recommended that fractional doses of Sabin-based inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) be used in the same way as fractional doses of Salk-based IPV – helping stretch supply and reach more children.  SAGE also backed the broader rollout of novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) to help stop persistent outbreaks of circulating variant poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in some of the toughest places.

Summary of new polioviruses this week: 

  • Angola:  two cVDPV2 cases
  • Nigeria:  one cVDPV2 case
  • Somalia:  two cVDPV2-positive environmental samples
  • Yemen:  one cVDPV2 case
Country updates as of 10 December 2025

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

  • Two cVDPV2 cases were reported this week, from Bie and Cuando Cubango, with onsets of paralysis on 3 and 27 October. There have been 19 cases reported in 2025. The number of cases for 2024 remains nine.
  • No cVDPV2-positive environmental sample was reported this week.

  • One cVDPV2 case was reported this week, from Zamfara, with onset of paralysis on 25 October.  The total number of cases reported this year is 53. The number of cases from 2024 remains 98.
  • No cVDPV2-positive environmental sample was reported this week.

  • No cVDPV2 case was reported this week. There have been seven cases reported in 2024 and one in 2025
  • Two cVDPV2-positive environmental samples were reported this week, from Lower Juba, collected on 16 October and 1 November.

  • One cVDPV2 case was reported this week, from Taiz, with onset of paralysis on 5 October.  The number of reported cases for 2024 is 187 and 30 for 2025.
  • No cVDPV2-positive environmental samples were reported this week.