A poliomyelitis vaccination campaign will be launched in southern Madagascar. The Ministry of Public Health and its partners are mobilizing from August 11-14 to vaccinate children aged 0 to 5 years in this zone. The campaign will cover five regions, including Atsimo Andrefana, Ihorombe, Anosy, Androy and Atsimo Atsinanana. A case of poliomyelitis was detected in the South several months ago. The main objective of this initiative is to strengthen overall immunity in children in these vulnerable areas. "Vaccination is the only defense against sudden paralysis linked to poliomyelitis. Each dose received strengthens the child's natural defenses," health officials remind. Poliomyelitis remains a major public health concern in Madagascar. Although the country was certified "Polio Free" in 2025, the virus was again detected in Betioky Atsimo in an 18-month-old boy. This child had never been vaccinated since birth, according to the Ministry of Public Health. Madagascar was declared "Polio Free" twice, first in 2018, but the disease resurfaced in 2020. At the peak of the epidemic in September 2023, a total of 287 cases had been confirmed, including 45 cases of acute flaccid paralysis, 44 community cases and 198 samples tested positive from environmental surveillance of wastewater, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) publication. This disease particularly threatens unvaccinated children.