Sudan launches polio vaccination campaign to protect 11 million children

Sudan’s Federal Ministry of Health, supported by WHO and UNICEF, is conducting a nationwide polio vaccination campaign in October and November 2026, targeting about 11 million children. The campaign aims to interrupt transmission of variant poliovirus, which has circulated since December 2024, as conflict that began in 2023 has disrupted health services and routine immunization. The first phase, from October 26 to 29, targets six million children in 107 localities across 12 states; another five million will be targeted in early November across the five Darfur states and West Kordofan. Sudan confirmed poliovirus in six children and three wastewater samples in 2026.