Senegal: Regional Initiative in Dakar targets critical data quality gaps to strengthen polio eradication efforts across Africa

Countries: Senegal, World Source: World Health Organization Dakar – More than 80 experts from 19 African countries work together in Dakar to improve the quality, consistency and use of polio surveillance and outbreak response data, a critical step toward strengthening disease detection, guiding vaccination campaigns and protecting children from polio across the region. The effort takes place at the Polio Data Quality Assessment and Workstream Coordination Workshop, held from 8 to 19 June 2026 and organized by the Polio Eradication Programme (PEP) of the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO). Bringing together representatives from Ministries of Health, national polio reference laboratories, WHO country offices, WHO AFRO and WHO headquarters, the workshop is focused on strengthening data systems that support polio surveillance, outbreak response and evidence-based decision-making across the African Region. The workshop includes a regional diagnostic review of data quality across key polio workstreams, including Acute Flaccid Paralysis surveillance, environmental surveillance, laboratory surveillance, electronic surveillance, and Supplementary Immunization Activities. Participants also focus on a critical review of data quality issues, providing an opportunity for country, laboratory, and regional office data managers to identify bottlenecks and propose practical solutions to ensure the timely and routine submission of clean data This phase includes a series of practical sessions using relevant tools and digital solutions developed by the regional team to strengthen the use of data-centric approaches at all levels. Discussions focus also on the use and operational maintenance of the various digital platforms that underpin strong data systems, ensuring timely data collection, analysis, reporting, and evidence-based decision-making. The workshop was officially opened by the WHO Representative in Senegal, Dr Yao N’da Konan Michel. In his opening remarks, he expressed sincere appreciation to the Government and Ministry of Health of Senegal for hosting the workshop in Dakar. He also commended Senegal’s strong track record in the fight against infectious diseases in the region. Dr Konan reminded participants that, although the WHO African Region achieved a historic milestone in 2020 when it was certified free of indigenous wild poliovirus, the continued threat of circulating variant polioviruses demonstrates that polio eradication requires constant vigilance. He emphasized the importance of strong surveillance, timely outbreak response, high-quality immunization campaigns, and the capacity to identify and close immunity gaps wherever they exist. At the heart of these efforts, he noted, is a robust digital ecosystem supported by strong data governance While briefing participants on the objectives and methodology of the workshop, following the opening session, the Polio Eradication Programme Team Lead for Data and Information Management, Mr Kebba Touray, stated that the workshop reflects a shared commitment to preserving and leveraging the polio programme’s rich data management legacy to strengthen public health surveillance across Africa in the long term. He noted that this robust system has been developed through the demonstrated commitment and leadership of WHO, several years of focused funding from the Gates Foundation, and technical support from other partners. Mr. Touray challenged participants to work together over the two weeks to establish strong mechanisms for addressing critical data quality gaps across all workstreams. He cautioned that failure to do so would make it difficult for the programme to assess surveillance sensitivity, monitor SIA quality, evaluate outbreak response performance, and target risk-based interventions. This, he concluded, would pose a significant risk to the region’s polio eradication efforts.

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