- – North West surpasses target, reaching around 1,900 children
The Ministry of Local Government and Traditional Affairs has successfully completed the first phase of the National Polio Vaccination Campaign across all 31 health districts in Botswana, vaccinating 209,198 children under five years of age—representing 77 percent coverage of the target population.
The campaign followed growing concern over circulating Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus Type 2 (cVDPV2), which has been detected in neighbouring countries through environmental surveillance. Although Botswana has not recorded any active cases yet, recent risk assessments classify the country as being at high risk of importation and transmission.
In a statement, the ministry revealed that the campaign targeted children aged 0–59 months, based on an estimated target population of 272,100 from the 2022 Statistics Botswana Population Census.
“During the campaign, vaccination teams reached 170,068 households nationwide and vaccinated 209,198 children under five years of age, representing 77 percent coverage of the target population.”
The ministry revealed that as part of disease surveillance, 14 cases of Sudden Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP)—a condition involving sudden limb weakness—were identified. Only two of these were confirmed true AFP cases, and investigations are ongoing to rule out polio.
The Ministry also recorded 116 households with 178 eligible children whose caregivers declined vaccination. Reasons for non-compliance included religious beliefs, refusal by some foreign nationals to access local services, and general vaccine resistance.
The campaign achieved strong outreach through mobile vaccination teams, particularly at health facilities and schools. Temporary vaccination points were also established at Kgotla and Village Development Committee (VDC) offices to improve community access and increase coverage.
Meanwhile, spearheading the vaccination campaign in the North West region, public health physician Doctor Ketshepile Taylor revealed that his team managed to vaccinate 1,942 children out of the 1,805 targeted.
Dr Taylor explained they immunised all eligible children in the region, adding that only those who had recently turned six were excluded. He mentioned that they extended the vaccination period to May 12th, as opposed to the May 11th deadline set by the ministry, to accommodate those who did not vaccinate their children in time.
He indicated that they managed to cover all parts of the region, including remote areas such as Phuduhudu, Somelo, and Semboyo. Dr Taylor applauded the health workers who actively participated in the first round for their hard work and for spreading awareness about the poliovirus.
The second phase of the vaccination campaign is scheduled for June 8–11, 2026. Members of the public are encouraged to continue supporting routine childhood immunisation programmes to ensure all eligible children are protected.
