DRC provinces launch door‑to‑door polio vaccination drives targeting over 1.2 million children

On 17 June 2026 provincial authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo inaugurated two large‑scale polio vaccination campaigns. In Mai‑Ndombe, Governor Nkoso Kevani Lebon opened the effort at Inongo’s CBFC Protestant Primary School, symbolically vaccinating five children and pledging door‑to‑door visits on 19‑20 June to protect all children aged 0‑59 months in the province. He highlighted President Félix Tshisekedi’s commitment to health and urged parents to ignore misinformation.

In the neighbouring Équateur province, Vice‑Governor Thomas Boyenge Ifaso launched a campaign in Mbandaka aimed at about 641 000 children under five across 18 health zones. Teams will visit households to administer four drops of oral polio vaccine. WHO representative Lado Addoulaye noted that ten polio cases have been recorded in the DRC since January 2026, nine in Maniema and one in Haut‑Lomami, underscoring the urgency. He called on community, religious and traditional leaders to support the door‑to‑door outreach and urged parents to keep children accessible for vaccinators.