Polio campaign begins as Namibia moves to protect polio-free status

Health minister Esperance Luvindao officially launched the national polio vaccination campaign at Katutura Health Centre on Monday.

Luvindao described the campaign as a decisive preventive intervention aimed at protecting the country’s hard-earned polio-free status, which Namibia has maintained since 2006.

“Today marks a significant moment in our collective responsibility to protect the health, well-being and future of the Namibian child,” she said.

The minister attributed this achievement to strong political leadership, a dedicated health workforce, committed partners and caregivers who have consistently supported national immunisation programmes.

However, Luvindao revealed that poliovirus type 2 was detected last November through routine environmental surveillance in a sewage sample collected at Ndama in Rundu.

“There is no confirmed case of polio in Namibia. This detection is an early warning signal, not a cause for alarm,” Luvindao stressed.

She explained that environmental surveillance enables health authorities to respond early, stopping outbreaks before communities are affected.

The campaign targets all children under the age of 10, the group most vulnerable to infection and transmission.

Many were born after routine vaccination against poliovirus type 2, creating an immunity gap requiring urgent action.

“This campaign uses the novel Oral Polio Vaccine type 2, known as nOPV2, which is safe, effective, and specifically developed for outbreak response,” Luvindao explained.

The vaccinations will be conducted in two rounds during January and February, with teams deployed nationwide.

Polio is a highly infectious disease spread through contaminated hands, food and unsafe drinking water. It can cause lifelong paralysis and, in severe cases, death, particularly among young children.