Somalia Vaccinates 122,000 Children in New Polio Campaign Across Banaadir
GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: Somalia has tested a new data-driven approach to delivering polio vaccines in high-risk communities, reaching 122,067 children under five in three districts of the Banaadir region, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
The five-day pilot campaign was carried out in Dayniile, Garasbaaley and Kaxda, where health teams administered the oral novel polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) to about 94% of the children targeted, according to the WHO.
The pilot is designed to address one of Somalia’s biggest challenges in stopping polio transmission: identifying and reaching children who are repeatedly missed by vaccination campaigns.
Instead of relying mainly on population estimates, vaccination teams used detailed population data, Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping, field verification and real-time monitoring to identify priority areas and track children who might otherwise be missed.
The approach is particularly relevant in urban areas such as Banaadir, where population movements, newly arrived families and informal settlements can make it difficult for health authorities to maintain accurate records of children eligible for vaccination.
POLIO CHALLENGE
Somalia has not recorded a case of wild poliovirus since 2014, but vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) has continued to circulate in parts of the country since 2017.
The virus can spread in communities where vaccination coverage is low, particularly when large numbers of children remain unvaccinated or receive incomplete protection.
Previous data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that Somalia recorded 39 cVDPV2 cases between 2017 and March 2024 across 14 regions, with insecurity and other access challenges making it difficult to consistently reach children in parts of central and southern Somalia.
The problem is particularly acute in communities where families move frequently or live outside formal settlements, making conventional population estimates less reliable.
FUTURE CAMPAIGNS
The Banaadir pilot is therefore being used to assess whether combining geographical data with real-time monitoring can improve vaccination coverage and reduce the number of children missed during campaigns.
WHO said lessons from Dayniile, Garasbaaley and Kaxda will be used to assess whether the approach can be expanded to other parts of Somalia.
The broader objective is to identify children who remain outside routine vaccination programmes and strengthen efforts to interrupt transmission of vaccine-derived poliovirus.
The results will also be important for Somalia’s wider public-health system, where insecurity, population displacement and limited access to some communities continue to complicate efforts to deliver basic health services.