Dakar – More than 80 health experts from 19 African nations have convened in Dakar this week, collaborating intensely to elevate the quality, consistency, and practical application of data pertinent to polio surveillance and outbreak response. This crucial endeavor marks a significant stride towards enhancing disease detection, optimizing vaccination strategies, and ultimately safeguarding children across the African Region from the persistent threat of poliomyelitis.

This pivotal gathering is part of the Workshop on Data Quality Assessment and Polio Workstream Coordination, an event meticulously organized by the Polio Eradication Programme (PEP) of the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO). The workshop, which runs from June 8 to 19, 2026, brings together a diverse group of stakeholders.

Attendees include key representatives from national Ministries of Health, leading national polio reference laboratories, WHO country offices, the WHO Regional Office for Africa, and WHO Headquarters. Their collective aim is to fortify the data systems that underpin polio surveillance, facilitate effective outbreak responses, and drive evidence-based decision-making throughout the African continent.

During the sessions, participants are meticulously scrutinizing data quality across several critical facets of the polio program. This includes surveillance of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP), environmental surveillance, laboratory surveillance, electronic surveillance mechanisms, and supplementary immunization activities (SIAs). They are also deeply analyzing the primary challenges impacting data quality, working to pinpoint persistent obstacles and devise actionable solutions to ensure the consistent and timely transmission of reliable data.

A significant portion of this phase involves hands-on practical sessions, utilizing innovative digital tools and solutions developed by the regional team. These sessions are designed to foster the widespread adoption of data-centric approaches at every operational level. Discussions also delve into the effective utilization and ongoing maintenance of various digital platforms that support robust information systems, guaranteeing prompt data collection, analysis, reporting, and evidence-informed decision-making.

The workshop was formally inaugurated by Dr. Yao N’da Konan Michel, the WHO Representative in Senegal. In his opening remarks, Dr. Yao extended profound gratitude to the Government and Ministry of Health of Senegal for graciously hosting this vital meeting in Dakar. He also commended Senegal’s impressive track record in combating infectious diseases within the Region.

Dr. Yao underscored that while the WHO African Region achieved a historic milestone in 2020 by being certified free of indigenous wild poliovirus, the ongoing menace of circulating variant polioviruses necessitates unwavering vigilance for polio eradication. He emphasized the paramount importance of high-quality surveillance, swift outbreak response, impactful vaccination campaigns, and the ability to identify and address immunity gaps wherever they arise. At the core of these comprehensive efforts, he stated, lies a resilient digital ecosystem bolstered by robust data governance.

Following the opening ceremony, Mr. Kebba Touray, the Data and Information Management Team Lead for the Polio Eradication Programme, presented the workshop’s objectives and methodology. He articulated that this workshop embodies a shared commitment to preserving and enhancing the program’s rich legacy in data management, thereby sustainably strengthening public health surveillance systems across Africa. Mr. Touray highlighted that this sophisticated system has been developed through the dedicated engagement and leadership of the WHO, several years of targeted funding from the Gates Foundation, and technical support from various partners.

Mr. Touray urged participants to leverage these two weeks of intensive work to establish solid mechanisms for bridging critical data quality gaps across all program workstreams. He cautioned that a lack of progress in this area would complicate the assessment of surveillance sensitivity, the monitoring of SIA quality, the analysis of outbreak response performance, and the precise targeting of risk-based interventions. Such a scenario, he warned, would ultimately jeopardize the significant strides made towards polio eradication throughout the Region.