By Vincent Gunde
The Dowa District Council has set a target to reach 240,859 children during the rounds of Polio Supplementally Immunization campaign which started from 24th to 27th March, 2026.
Round two of the campaign will start from 27th to 30th April, 2026 while Round three will start from 2nd to 5th June, 2026 with an overall objective of vaccinating all children under 10 years to achieve 95 percent coverage.
Presenting the Polio Supplementally Immunization Campaign to the District executive committee (Dec) in Dowa, District Health Promotion Officer Davie Nuka, said Polio is a highly infections disease caused by Polio virus and spread by the fecal – oral route.
Nuka said Polio is a paralyzing disease for life, it is high risk to unimmunized children saying rapid response is critical to stop the outbreak within 120 days.
He appealed to Dec members to take key messages to the communities that Polio is preventable, the vaccine is safe and effective to make sure that every child must be vaccinated and no child should be missed.
The officer said the goal of the campaign is for the children to boost immunity, interrupt virus transmission and to stop the outbreak within 120 days.
” Among the activities planned and implemented on the Polio Supplementally Immunization Campaign, included community sensitization, engagement of schools and community structures, and training of health workers such as vaccinators, recorders, supervisors, and mobilizers, among others,” said Nuka.
In her remarks, Dowa District Council’s Director of Planning and Development Mercy Mpakule, called on stakeholders to mainstream their interventions with messages of Poliomyelitis vaccines.
Poliomyelitis was detected in Malawi ( Blantyre) on 8th December, 2025 and it was confirmed through Environmental surveillance.
The first round zero started from 11th to 15th February, 2025 in the high risk districts Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiladzulu, Mwanza, Nemo, Nsanje, Thyolo and Zomba.
The Polio Supplementally Immunization Campaign is being funded by UNICEF and World Health Organization ( WHO).
