Oshikoto: The Oshikoto Regional Health Directorate is targeting more than 68,000 children under the age of 10 for polio vaccination. The announcement was made during a stakeholder engagement on polio vaccination campaign preparedness by Chief Health Programme Officer for Family Health in Oshikoto, Cecilia Nghidimondjila.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the first round of the polio vaccination campaign will commence next Monday and run until Thursday, with a second round starting on February 24. All children in this age group are expected to receive two vaccine doses-one during the first campaign round and the second during the final round.

Nghidimondjila specified that in the Omuthiya District, 337 villages and 26,913 children have been targeted; in the Onandjokwe District, a total of 331 villages and 28,931 children; and in the Tsumeb District, 45 villages and 12,391 children. She emphasized the importance of vaccinating all children under 10, regardless of their prior vaccination status.

The plan is to cover all villages under each health facility according to the health district demarcation. Parents are urged to ensure their children under 10 receive the vaccine, as the detection of poliovirus type 2 has been declared a national emergency. The Ministry of Health and Social Services identified poliovirus type 2 through routine environmental surveillance in a sewage sample collected in Ndama, Rundu, on November 13, 2025.