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Authors
Tushabe, Phionah https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0729-5505
Majumdar, Manasi
Carlyle, Sarah
Shulman, Lester
Ssekagiri, Alfred
Joffret, Marie-Line
Klapsa, Dimitra
Cremer, Jeroen
Arowolo, Kafayat O. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7972-3284
Bujaki, Erika
Bukenya, Henry
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Nanteza, Mary Bridget
Turyahabwe, Irene
Namuwulya, Prossy
Birungi, Molly
Eliku, James Peter
Aine, Francis
Tibanagwa, Mayi
Nakabazzi, Lucy
Gaizi, Joseph
Ssebuuma, Arnold Mugagga
Dhatemwa, Rajab
Okia, Charles
Nyachwo, Mary
Nanteza, Mary Bridget
Turyahabwe, Irene
Namuwulya, Prossy
Birungi, Molly
Eliku, James Peter
Aine, Francis
Tibanagwa, Mayi
Nakabazzi, Lucy
Gaizi, Joseph
Ssebuuma, Arnold Mugagga
Dhatemwa, Rajab
Okia, Charles
Nyachwo, Mary
Nanteza, Mary Bridget
Turyahabwe, Irene
Namuwulya, Prossy
Birungi, Molly
Eliku, James Peter
Aine, Francis
Tibanagwa, Mayi
Nakabazzi, Lucy
Gaizi, Joseph
Ssebuuma, Arnold Mugagga
Dhatemwa, Rajab
Okia, Charles
Nyachwo, Mary
Hawes, Kaija M.
Bakamutumaho, Barnabas
Duizer, Erwin
Bessaud, Mael
Bandyopadhyay, Ananda S.
Macadam, Andrew
Byabamazima, Charles R.
Martin, Javier https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5326-7081
Bwogi, Josephine https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6975-7106
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Funding
Funding for this research was provided by:
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (INV-043859)
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (INV-043859)
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (INV-043859)
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (INV-043859)
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (INV-043859)
World Health Organization (GPLN/OMD/LoA/2023/3)
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Article History
Received: 17 April 2025
Accepted: 12 November 2025
First Online: 19 January 2026
Competing interests
: All authors declare no competing interests.
: This research was conducted through an inclusive and collaborative partnership involving institutions across Uganda, the United Kingdom, Israel, France, the Netherlands, the United States and the World Health Organization. The study reflects a shared commitment to global public health, scientific integrity and equitable collaboration. Local expertise at the Uganda Virus Research Institute and the EPI Laboratory team played a central role in sample collection, processing and virus isolation, ensuring contextual relevance and contributing to capacity strengthening.The study did not involve human participants, but the analysis of viral nucleotide sequences involved viral isolates recovered from anonymous clinical (stools) and environmental (sewage) samples. Clinical and environmental specimens analysed in this study were collected as part of routine public health surveillance under the GPEI. AFP surveillance and environmental sampling are core components of Uganda’s National Poliovirus Surveillance programme, implemented by the Ministry of Health with technical support from the World Health Organization. These surveillance activities follow WHO-recommended protocols and are classified as non-research public health activities that do not require individual informed consent. The Uganda Virus Research Institute, serving as the National Polio Laboratory, conducted specimen processing and virus isolation under standard WHO procedures. Only de-identified poliovirus isolates were transferred for sequencing and genomic analysis. No personally identifiable information was collected or analysed; the only human-derived metadata retained were sample collection dates, used solely for epidemiological context. The study did not involve human participants research as defined by international ethics guidelines, and all analyses were limited to viral genomic sequences. Ethics oversight was provided by national authorities, and all activities complied with relevant ethics standards for the secondary use of surveillance-derived human specimens in global public health research.Animal work was approved by MHRA’s Ethics and Human Materials Advisory Committees. MHRA’s Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body approved the application for Procedure Project Licence Number PPL PP6108158, which was approved by the UK Government Home Office and under which animal care and protocols shown in this paper were conducted. All animal care and protocols used at MHRA adhere to the UK Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and the Home Office Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Bred, Supplied or Used for Scientific Purposes.All authors contributed to the research and writing process with mutual respect for diverse expertise, fostering transparency, inclusivity and shared ownership. The study aligns with principles of responsible data use, equitable access to research opportunities and the global effort to eliminate poliovirus transmission through open, cross-border scientific cooperation.
