On Saturday, July 12, 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF launched a large-scale vaccination campaign against polio in Yemen. The campaign aims to reach over 1.3 million children across 120 districts in 12 governorates and will run until July 14.
The campaign focuses on boosting immunity among children in high-risk areas through the administration of the novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2), in response to ongoing detection of cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in communities and environmental samples.
Dr. Frema Coulibaly-Zerbo, WHO Representative in Yemen, said, “Yemen remains vulnerable to the virus, due to conflict, a weak health system, and the low percentage of children receiving basic vaccinations.” She stressed that as poliovirus continuing to circulate and cases confirmed in 2025, these campaigns are essential to interrupt transmission and protect children from the debilitating effects of polio.
Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Yemen, added: “The campaign is an important and urgent step to protect children from being paralyzed by the poliovirus. With confirmed cases of polio among Yemeni children, an imminent threat persists, especially for every unvaccinated child. But, through vaccination, we can keep our children safe.”
According to official data, since 2021, there have been 282 confirmed cases of cVDPV2 in 122 districts across 19 out of Yemen’s 22 governorates. Notably, 98% of these cases occurred in children under the age of five.
Both organizations emphasized that current epidemiological evidence strongly supports the need for the use of nOPV2, particularly in southern governorates, to break the chain of transmission and ensure the safety and health of Yemen’s children.
