The World Health Organization (WHO) declares polio outbreaks over in five African countries after determining that virus transmission has been interrupted. The decision follows efforts to stop transmission and to verify that ongoing spread is no longer occurring.
WHO says the interruption results from targeted vaccination campaigns, along with epidemiological investigations to track cases and expanded environmental surveillance to monitor for poliovirus in the setting where it would be detected if transmission continued. The outlets reporting on the decision emphasize that these combined measures are used to confirm that outbreaks have ended.
Premium Times and AllAfrica both relay WHO’s explanation of the response methods and do not highlight country-specific details or disagreements on the assessment. Both accounts frame the declaration as part of WHO’s process for concluding outbreaks once evidence shows transmission has stopped.
