Polio Campaign Preparedness Needs Improvement, WHO Team Says

(JUBA) – A high level mission on polio has called for urgent steps to strengthen population immunity in South Sudan, including the continuous supply of essential routine vaccines and better coordination among health partners.

The joint Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) high level team began its mission on 28 June 2026.

It presented its recommendations during a debriefing to the Acting WHO Representative, the Hon. Undersecretary of Health Dr. Oromo Francis Seriano, the Director General of Primary Health Care and the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) Director at the Ministry of Health.

The team said there is a need to strengthen population immunity by ensuring the continuous availability of essential routine vaccines.

These include bivalent Oral Polio Vaccine (bOPV), Tetanus and Diphtheria (Td) and Bacillus Calmette Guérin (BCG) vaccines. The team said this is necessary to sustain immunity and reduce the risk of outbreaks.

The mission also called for strengthened coordination and accountability among GPEI and non GPEI partners.

It recommended that vaccine supply chain management be improved by designating UNICEF to lead the last mile distribution and reverse logistics of novel Oral Polio Vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) within the GPEI partnership framework.

The team further recommended that campaign preparedness be improved through the review of Quality Improvement Plans at least two weeks before implementation. It also called for the early mapping of insecure areas with tailored access strategies.

On community engagement, the mission called for strengthened demand generation. It said social mobilisers should be paid on time to sustain motivation and maximise community participation.