It follows a wild polio virus outbreak in February after a case was detected in a three-year-old child in the capital, Lilongwe.

Malawi last reported such a case about 30 years ago. The latest one is believed to have come from Pakistan.

It is still unclear how it arrived in the country, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched an immunisation campaign to contain any possible spread.

"All of the essential supplies have been moved where they are needed. This includes, vaccines, protective equipment for health workers, mothers and care givers, as have the indelible ink markers issued to mark a child has received the vaccine," said Janet Kayita, WHO country representative for Malawi.

Health workers will move from house to house to administer the vaccine to all children under five regardless of previous immunisation status.

WHO says the campaign will eventually be spread to all bordering countries of Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique by the end of the week.

Subsequent vaccination phases will expand to more countries targeting a total of 80 million children on the continent.

Africa was declared and certified as free of indigenous wild polio in August 2020 after eliminating all forms of wild poliovirus. This certification has not changed.

Polio is a viral disease that attacks the nervous system and may cause paralysis in a very short time. It can be transmitted from person to person mainly through contamination by faecal matter, contaminated water or food.

Although polio has no cure, it can be prevented through vaccination.