In May 2025, Niger mobilized more than 24,000 trained agents and community volunteers to reach 9.2 million people during a nationwide polio vaccination campaign. Nearly 3.9 million children received life-saving oral polio vaccines across urban centers and remote areas alike—including transhumant communities. But beyond the numbers, the campaign has brought to light personal stories of resilience, visibility, and transformation. One such story belongs to a woman in Niamey who survived polio and now fights to ensure no child has to go through what she experienced.
In May 2025, Niger launched a national polio vaccination campaign that reached nearly 3.9 million children under five. Behind this success are thousands of local champions like Mahamadou Nana, a primary school teacher in Niamey. Her story shows how trust, community relationships, and everyday leadership can break down hesitancy and bring vaccines closer to the people who need them most.
In Niamey’s Des Ebon neighborhood, Mr. Hamadou Harouna—a father of six and long-time volunteer—has become a trusted voice for vaccination. Through personal testimony and persistent community work, he helps shift perceptions and build confidence in polio immunization. His story reflects the crucial role of local leadership in Niger’s ongoing eradication efforts.
In May 2025, Niger launched a large-scale polio vaccination campaign that mobilized over 24,000 trained field agents and reached more than 9.2 million people across the country. By combining rigorous planning , community-driven outreach , and a multi-channel communication strategy , the campaign vaccinated nearly 3.9 million children , engaged vulnerable and mobile populations, and resolved 93% of recorded refusals. The approach sets a powerful precedent for future health emergencies and long-term system strengthening.
A recent VDPV2 case in Harare prompted a rapid social investigation across three health zones. Budiriro Polyclinic stood out for its strong trust and campaign visibility, while Mufakose and Budiriro Satellite Clinic revealed gaps in awareness, lingering misconceptions, and hesitancy around multiple OPV doses. This kind of timely, data-driven research is exactly what’s needed to guide smarter, targeted outreach and strengthen Zimbabwe’s polio response.
When vaccine-derived poliovirus was detected in Mwanza’s environment, health partners mobilized fast—not just to vaccinate, but to listen. A rapid social diagnostics study helped uncover both strengths and gaps: high vaccine coverage and trust in health workers, but persistent myths, hygiene risks, and vulnerable groups. Now, insights from this study are guiding smarter, more integrated risk communication and WASH efforts across the region.
In Nigeria’s Kebbi State, a father’s personal heartbreak became a turning point in rebuilding community trust in immunization. This story reveals how a dedicated Volunteer Community Mobilizer transformed vaccine refusal into advocacy—underscoring the power of empathy, resilience, and community-based SBC approaches in outbreak contexts.
In the Horn of Africa, where families regularly move across porous borders in search of work, trade, and safety, polio doesn’t stop at checkpoints. In recent years, Ethiopia has faced recurring outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2), often linked to virus transmission across borders shared with Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Uganda. Reaching these mobile and border populations is now a frontline priority in the country’s polio eradication strategy.
In Ethiopia, the fight against polio is both a public health challenge and a community-led journey. Despite past progress, variant poliovirus outbreaks have re-emerged, particularly in regions affected by conflict or limited access to routine health services. In response, the government—alongside UNICEF and partners—has intensified nationwide vaccination campaigns focused on reaching every last child. In the village of Mekan-Endamekoni in Tigray, this mission is personal. For 34-year-old Azmera Berhe, it’s a commitment rooted in experience, resilience, and hope.
In Djibouti’s arid north, reaching every child with life-saving vaccines is no simple task. The remote village of Gadid, tucked into the rocky foothills of the Obock region, lies far beyond paved roads or regular health services. Here, the nearest clinic may be a full day’s journey away—and many children grow up without ever being seen by the formal health system. But during the April 2025 national polio campaign, a mobile vaccination team set out to change that reality. Their goal was not only to deliver oral polio drops, but to identify and reach the most vulnerable children, especially
