Online Reporter
Diana Nherera
The Ministry of Health and Child Care will be carrying out two rounds of nOPV2 vaccination campaign targeting children below the age of five years.
In a notice, Chitungwiza Municipality said this follows a notification about the recent confirmation of an outbreak of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 in Malawi.
“The campaign will be synchronised with Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique and Botswana from April 20 to 23, 2026, for the first round and May 7 to 10, 2026, for the second round.
“Poliomyelitis (polio), which is prevented by vaccination, is a highly infectious viral disease caused by poliovirus that largely affects children under 5 years of age,” read the notice..
“The virus is transmitted by person-to-person spread mainly through the faecal-oral route or by contaminated water or and multiplies in the intestine from where it can affect the nervous system and cause paralysis.”
According to the notice, the objective of the campaign is to administer a dose of novel Oral Polio Vaccine Type 2 (nOPV2) to all eligible children in Zimbabwe.
“Every child targeted (0 to 59 months) must receive two drops of nOPV2 even if the child has been previously vaccinated,” reads the notice.
The notice reads that vaccination teams will move from house to house and some shopping centres and markets, vaccinating all eligible children.
