Malawi strengthening health system after containing polio outbreak

Malawi is taking measures to reinforce its health system after successfully containing a wild poliovirus outbreak last year. The country was certified free of the disease in 2020, but a reimported case from South Asia two years later prompted an urgent response from health authorities. Transmission of the disease was successfully halted in May 2024. By January 2025, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) had classified Malawi as low risk on its global polio watchlist, recognizing the country’s strong surveillance and containment system.
Malawi is now focused on capitalizing on these gains, integrating the polio eradication infrastructure into the broader national health framework. In this sense, the Polio Transition Plan, aligned with the Ministry of Health’s Immunisation Programme, should reinforce disease prevention efforts across multiple sectors. Patrick Wataya Chirwa, chairperson of the National Certification Committee, said the ability to manage key functions nationally is vital to keep the country polio-free and deal with other vaccine-preventable diseases. Neema Kimambo, World Health Organisation (WHO) representative in Malawi, also emphasized the importance of multisectoral collaboration, urging government agencies, civil society, and local health authorities to maintain strong coordination in advancing health security.