UNICEF to vaccinate half a million children against polio in Darfur

December 28, 2025 (ZALINGEI) – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced on Sunday a campaign to vaccinate half a million children against polio across Darfur.

Supply chains for childhood vaccines and other epidemic treatments collapsed in Darfur following the outbreak of war in April 2023, despite efforts by the central government to deliver medical supplies to the region, most of which is now outside its control.

UNICEF stated on the X platform that “this week, vaccination teams will immunize more than 500,000 children under the age of five with the oral polio vaccine in Central and West Darfur.”

The organization noted that this represents the second round of the polio vaccination campaign, emphasizing that “every dose is a shield protecting children from a preventable and life-threatening disease.”

On August 26, UNICEF delivered 5.8 million doses of the oral polio vaccine to the vaccine centre in El Geneina to protect 2.3 million children under the age of five across 65 districts in the Darfur states.

Central and North Darfur have been suffering from outbreaks of childhood diseases, particularly measles, amid urgent calls for regular vaccination campaigns.

On July 15, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that Sudanese children are at risk of deadly diseases after vaccination rates dropped to their lowest levels in 40 years.