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Source: World Health Organization (WHO) - Madagascar | Jul 14, 2025

State-of-the-art laboratory enhances Madagascar’s polio response

Between 2022 and 2024, the laboratory detected more than 40 cases of circulating variant poliovirus type 1, enabling immediate and targeted immunization responses

A new state-of-the-art laboratory has bolstered Madagascar’s efforts to survey and detect polioviruses and effectively respond to the threat of the disease and protect children from its devastating impacts. The laboratory, which is fully accredited by World Health Organization (WHO), was handed over today to the national authorities. Hosted at…

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) - Madagascar | May 20, 2025

Outbreak of variant type 1 polio in Madagascar declared over

The outbreak, which started in 2020, posed a serious public health threat, particularly to under 5 children but also to unvaccinated adults

Madagascar has successfully halted the transmission of variant poliovirus type 1, following recommendations from a rigorous, independent Outbreak Response Assessment (OBRA) to declare the outbreak closed. This achievement marks a major milestone in the country’s ongoing efforts towards polio eradication. The outbreak, which started in 2020, posed a serious public…

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) - Madagascar | Sep 26, 2023

Madagascar: Mobile clinics fill health care gap

Since June 2022, 20 mobile clinics have been making daily rounds in hard-to-reach areas, enabling one million people to access curative health services in places where health facilities are no longer functional

Attending a health centre was an “unattainable luxury” after the Batsirai and Emnati cyclones hit Madagascar’s south-eastern Vatovavy region in February 2022, cutting off any access to care for Toky Rabemaharo and his community. The consequences were devastating: “I lost my wife, who was pregnant. Several other people in our…

Source: World Health Organization (WHO) - Madagascar | Jun 21, 2023

In Madagascar, mobile clinics bolster health surveillance during cyclones

The Batsirai and Emnati cyclones caused more than 300 deaths, destroyed or damaged more than 150 health structures, depriving 800,000 people of access to health care

After the Batsirai and Emnati cyclones hit Madagascar’s south-eastern Vatovavy region in February 2022, Toky Rabemaharo suddenly found himself and his community cut off from basic health services. “Being able to attend a health centre was an unattainable luxury for us,” he recalls. The consequences were devastating: “I lost my…