The progress in stopping the outbreak is the result of remarkable efforts to improve the coverage and quality of polio eradication activities. The Angolan government provided strong federal leadership, along with the systematic engagement of traditional and local leaders.  Most recently, national polio immunization activities were held throughout Angola.

The fight

A total of 1,406 vaccination teams and 289 supervisors, 82 coordinators and 96 municipal commission technicians have been mobilised for the poliomyelitis campaign in northern Uige province.

According to the provincial supervisor of the Broad Vaccination Campaign (PAV), Lucrécia Pedro, 586 mobilising agents and 18 supervisors have been recruited for the present campaign in the region.

During the campaign, according to the source, PAV is expected to vaccinate 515,570 children aged from zero to five years.

Speaking to Angop, Lucrécia Paim said all is in place for the campaign in all municipalities of the province.

Lucrécia Pedro also stated that 1.7 million children aged from zero and five years were vaccinated in January and March this year in the province. 537,263 under the first phase and 538.121 under the second.

But this progress remains at risk until the disease is completely wiped out.   Nigeria is the only country in Africa that has never interrupted the spread of the wild poliovirus, but the entire continent remains at risk, especially as a funding gap of $945 million means that the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (Rotary, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) could be forced to scale back immunization campaigns in numerous countries.

The key to building on the progress in Angola is to further strengthen immunization levels and rapidly fill subnational surveillance gaps.  It is fundamental that all Governments and local leaders commit to a polio-free Africa and help to fill the funding gap of $945 to do so.