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Polio this week

High-level polio delegation visits Chad as President Déby is named champion for polio eradication and immunization

A high-level delegation of global polio and immunization partners met with Chadian authorities this week, including President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, to advance political commitment and regional cooperation for polio eradication and stronger immunization in Chad and across the Lake Chad Basin. The visit was marked by the designation of President Déby as Regional Champion for Polio Eradication and Immunization in the Lake Chad Basin, recognizing Chad’s important role in driving collective action across the region. In this role, President Déby will help keep polio eradication and immunization high on the regional agenda, promote stronger cooperation among countries and advocate for sustained action to reach every child, including those living in border areas and among mobile, displaced and underserved communities.

African Health Ministers adopt framework to safeguard Africa’s polio gains

African ministers of health and high-level representatives last week adopted a ten-year plan to sustain polio eradication efforts by strengthening national health systems and reaffirmed commitment to protect decades of investment towards a polio-free continent.  The Framework for Polio Transition and Sustainability in the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region 2026–2035 was adopted during the Seventy-sixth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 25–28 August 2026.  More.

SAGE Polio Working Group advocates for increased IPV use in high-risk and outbreak settings

Last week, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunization (SAGE) Polio Working Group convened to take stock of progress toward eradication and to examine additional strategy interventions to help accelerate and sustain eradication.  Discussions in particular focused on adding a third dose of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) to routine immunization schedules in high-risk countries, and a second dose of fractional IPV (fIPV) for outbreak response in those instances when circulation continues beyond six months, despite multiple vaccination campaigns.  Experience from key outbreak countries suggests adding the second fIPV dose to OPV response significantly accelerates the stopping of outbreaks.

Latest IHR Emergency Committee report published

The latest report by the IHR Emergency Committee on the international spread of poliovirus has been published, following the Committee’s recent meeting.  The effort to eradicate polio remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), and Temporary Recommendations associated with the PHEIC are extended.

Summary of new polioviruses this week

  • Pakistan:  six WPV1-positive environmental samples
  • DR Congo :  eight cVDPV2 cases
  • Mali :  one cVDPV2 case
  • Nigeria :  two cVDPV3 cases
  • South Sudan :  one cVDPV1 case and three cVDPV2 cases
Country updates as of 02 September 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: 7 April 2026). The total number of cases in 2026 is three. The total number of cases in 2025 is 31.
  • Six WPV1-positive environmental samples were reported this week, collected in August from Balochistan, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (most recent positive environmental sample: 6 August 2026).

  • Eight cVDPV2 cases were reported this week from Haut Lomami and Lualaba, with onset of paralysis in July 2026 (most recent case: 23 July 2026). The number of cVDPV2 cases in 2026 is 45. The number of cVDPV2 cases in 2025 is seven.
  • No cVDPV2-positive environmental samples were reported this week (most recent positive environmental sample: 14 May 2026).
  • No cVDPV1 cases were reported this week. The number of cVDPV1 cases from 2025 is one (onset of paralysis: 25 June 2025).

  • One cVDPV2 case was reported this week, from Tombouctou, with onset of paralysis on 15 July 2026 (most recent case). There are two cases reported in 2026. There was one case reported from the country in 2025.

  • No cVDPV2 cases were reported this week. The total number of cVDPV2 cases reported in 2026 is 34 (most recent case: 25 July 2026). The total number of cVDPV2 cases reported in 2025 is 66. 
  • No cVDPV2-positive environmental sample was reported this week (most recent positive environmental sample:  22 July 2026).
  • Two cVDPV3 cases were reported this week, from Borno and Yobe, with onsets of paralysis on 22 July 2026 and 25 July 2026 (most recent case). The total number of cVDPV3 cases in 2026 is eleven. The total number of cVDPV3 cases in 2025 is eight.
  • No cVDPV3-positive environmental samples were reported this week (most recent positive environmental sample: 16 July 2026).

  • One cVDPV1 case was reported this week, from Central Equatoria, with onset of paralysis on 1 August 2026 (most recent case). There are ten cVDPV1 cases reported in 2026.
  • Three cVDPV2 cases were reported this week, from Warrap and Jonglei, with onsets of paralysis on 30 May 2026, 28 June 2026 and 18 July 2026 (most recent case), the first cVDPV2 cases reported from the country this year.
  • No cVDPV1-positive environmental samples were reported this week (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).