The campaign was officially launched in Luanda by the Secretary of State for Public Health, Carlos Pinto de Sousa, who highlighted Angola's efforts to eradicate this disease, after the elimination of wild poliovirus was confirmed in 2015.
According to the Secretary of State for Public Health, the goal was to protect 6.8 million children. 15,389 vaccination teams were mobilized, supervised by nearly 4,000 technicians, bringing together more than 50,000 people, including health professionals and volunteers, to ensure the campaign's success.
"In light of this new threat, the Ministry of Health has planned two national vaccination rounds: the first from August 15th to 17th, and the second from September 5th to 7th of this year, covering all 326 municipalities in Angola," said the minister, appealing for the collaboration of churches, community leaders, and youth associations.
Carlos Pinto de Sousa emphasized the importance of this vaccine, recommending that "even if the child has already been vaccinated," they receive additional doses "to strengthen their protection and, consequently, that of the community."
The country has already conducted more than 60 polio vaccination campaigns, and in July 2011, it reached a historic milestone with the elimination of wild poliovirus, officially confirmed in 2015 by the African Certification Committee.
The campaign is in collaboration with partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Gates Foundation, the Global Fund for Immunization (Gavi), among others.
