Rwanda: Who Declares Five African Countries Polio-Free

What the report says

The World Health Organization says five African countries have now closed outbreaks of poliovirus type 2 after independent assessments found that transmission had stopped. The countries named in the New Times report are Burundi, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. The assessments, conducted between January and June 2026, reviewed surveillance, laboratory and epidemiological data, vaccination campaigns and population immunity before the outbreaks were formally closed.

According to the report, the countries used different response strategies, but vaccination and disease surveillance were the main tools. DR Congo’s last detection was reported in December 2023, while Burundi’s outbreak was declared in March 2023. Uganda intensified its response after a detection in May 2024, and Ghana focused on rapid outbreak response alongside laboratory capacity improvements. Guinea-Bissau had not recorded a detection since July 2021 and used targeted vaccination for underserved communities. The WHO Regional Office for Africa later confirmed the assessments.

WHO regional director Dr Mohamed Janabi said the closures were an important milestone but stressed that continued vigilance remains necessary. The article notes that outbreak closure does not eliminate the risk of new importations or fresh detections, citing Madagascar as a recent example. The broader public health context is that polio remains a highly infectious disease with no cure, but vaccination can prevent paralysis. Rwanda was mentioned as already polio-free since 2004, after its last wild poliovirus case in 1993.