Nigeria joins, Chad, to fight polio in Chad Basin

Nigeria has joined Cameroon, Chad, Niger Republic and the Central African Republic (CAR) to launch a synchronised vaccination campaign in a major push to eliminate the circulating variant poliovirus type 2 in the Lake Chad Basin, it has emerged.

Nigeria’s Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, explained in N’Djamena, Chad on Friday that the initiative aims to vaccinate 83 million children under five across the five countries, signalling a major stride in the region’s fight against the ongoing threat of polio.

He stressed that the joint effort became imperative considering that over the past year, the variant poliovirus type 2 has been identified in environmental samples and among affected individuals in Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon with a total of 210 detections.

This was revealed on the Facebook account of the Ministry of Public Health of Chad on Friday following the launch of the joint effort in N’Djamena.

Records have indicated that of the total figure, 140 cases resulted in paralysis and that while no cases have been confirmed in CAR, so far, the region remains vulnerable due to high mobility and porous borders, making cross-border transmission a constant risk.

Records also indicated that Chad had been particularly affected, with more than half of its reported polio cases in 2024 traced to the strain circulating in neighbouring Cameroon. This underscores the critical importance of synchronizing efforts across borders to effectively stop the virus in its tracks.

In 2024 alone, nearly 12 million children were vaccinated in mass immunization campaigns throughout the region, it was noted.

While commending the Chadian government for hosting the event, Pate acknowledged its impact of bringing together basin countries and strengthening their dynamics in the fight against polio.

“This synchronised campaign is an opportunity to engage more officials at various levels in these countries for the goal of coordination,” he said.

Stressing the importance of building on that momentum, Pate announced that a new round of synchronized polio vaccinations is scheduled from April 24 to 28, 2025.

The campaign will focus on high-risk, underserved, and mobile populations, especially in border communities where surveillance and immunization rates remain below target levels, he added.

An estimated 1.1 million health personnel, including vaccinators, community mobilizers, and monitors will be deployed to ensure every eligible child is reached, he also noted

Chad’s Minister of Health, Hon. Abdelmadjid Abderahim, said, “The Lake Chad Basin remains one of the most challenging areas in our fight to eradicate polio. A unified approach is our strongest weapon”.

The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Representative in Chad, Anya Blanche, spoke about the need to fight polio together and thanked leaders at different levels for their contribution to health action.

The massive presence of the actors is a sign of the goodwill of all to fight against polio, Blanche said.

The head of the delegation of Cameroon, Bachir Hassan Ben said that the fight against polio knows no borders but requires the States of the Lake Chad basin to mobilize without fail for the success of this campaign.

Niger Representative, DAïchatou Djibo Alfari, welcomed the actions being taken by Lake Chad Basin countries and praised the efforts being made by opinion leaders alongside policymakers and health stakeholders to combat polio.

The officials noted that the campaign aligns with both the Africa Regional Polio Eradication Action Plan and the Polio Eradication Cross-Border Coordination Plan 2024–2025.

The frameworks were endorsed in August 2024 and updated in February 2025 to reflect current challenges and epidemiological trends, they also noted.

As part of the launch, the Health Ministers convened behind closed doors to assess data, strategize solutions, and strengthen regional cooperation.

The coordinated action, according to them, is also timed to coincide with African Vaccination Week, themed ‘Immunization for all is humanly possible’.