On 23 October 2026, the Rotary Club of Banjul, in partnership with the Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and other stakeholders, commemorated World Polio Day at the Faji Kunda Major Health Center in Western Health Region 1. The event, held under the theme “One Day, One Focus: Ending Polio for Good – Ensuring Every Child is Vaccinated,” brought together health workers, traditional communicators, community and religious leaders, media representatives, and families for a campaign focused on immunization and surveillance.
Lamin Keita, President of the Rotary Club of Banjul, opened the proceedings by extending greetings from Rotary International. He recalled that when Rotary launched its PolioPlus program in 1985, wild poliovirus paralyzed more than 350,000 children annually across 125 countries. Through decades of effort, cases have fallen by more than 99.9 percent.
Rotary members worldwide have contributed over $2.6 billion and millions of volunteer hours to immunize more than 2.5 billion children in 122 nations. As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative alongside WHO, UNICEF, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Gavi, and the Gates Foundation, Rotary continues to mobilize substantial annual funding for operations, surveillance, and emergency response.
Keita thanked the Ministry of Health, the Expanded Program on Immunization, and frontline health personnel for keeping The Gambia polio-free since 2004. He warned, however, that as long as wild poliovirus remains in even two countries or variant polioviruses circulate in fragile settings, children everywhere stay at risk. “Polio anywhere is a threat everywhere,” he said. The symbolic administration of polio vaccine to under-five children at the event underscored renewed commitment. Looking ahead, Keita announced plans for a larger public engagement and expanded community sensitization next year, stating that broader outreach strengthens the overall effort.
The WHO Representative in The Gambia described the day as both a celebration of progress and a call to action. Speaking on behalf of WHO and alongside UNICEF colleagues, the representative praised the Government of The Gambia, health workers, community volunteers, and partners for sustained immunization efforts that have protected millions of children globally. The Gambia’s polio-free status, achieved through robust surveillance including Acute Flaccid Paralysis monitoring and environmental surveillance, plus strengthened routine immunization, has limited the impact of circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses in the region. “Almost there is not the same as there,” the representative noted, stressing the need for high routine coverage. Hence, every child completes the vaccine schedule without delay, sudden muscle weakness or paralysis in children under 15 is reported rapidly, and community education continues to counter misinformation.
The WHO official called on parents and caregivers to bring children for every recommended dose; on community and religious leaders to promote vaccine confidence; on health workers to reach the hardest-to-reach areas; and on policymakers to maintain investments in primary health care. Rotary International’s long-running campaign, local Polio Committee members, and frontline workers were singled out for walking door-to-door to ensure no child is left behind. Parents were recognized as the ultimate defenders of children’s futures, and their cooperation drove high coverage in previous nationwide campaigns.
The Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health has reaffirmed The Gambia’s commitment to eliminating polio, urging parents and caregivers to ensure every child receives routine vaccinations.
The DPS emphasized that vaccine-derived polioviruses continue a circulate regionally, requiring stronger surveillance, immunization coverage, and community participation.
The official commended the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Rotary International, healthcare workers, and other partners for their continued support.
The Ministry also called for intensified efforts to combat vaccine misinformation.
“Vaccines are safe, they are effective, and they are a fundamental right for every Gambian child,” the official declared.
The gathering closed with a collective pledge that government, international partners, civil society, and families will continue working together until polio is eradicated in The Gambia and worldwide.
