All the 11 countries of the WHO Southeast Asia Region, including Bangladesh, were certified polio-free by an independent commission under the WHO certification process on Thursday.
This is the fourth of six WHO regions to be certified, marking an important step towards global polio eradication. With this, 80 percent of the world’s population now lives in certified polio-free regions.
WHO Southeast Asia Region is the home to a quarter of the world’s population.
An independent panel of 11 experts in public health, epidemiology, virology, clinical medicine and related specialties constituting the Southeast Asia Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication (SEA-RCCPE) met for two days to review evidence from countries before reaching the decision that all 11 countries of the region are now polio-free and have met the requirements for certification, according to a WHO press release.
Before a region can be certified polio-free one, several conditions must be satisfied such as: at least three years of zero confirmed cases due to indigenous wild poliovirus; excellent laboratory-based surveillance for poliovirus; demonstrated capacity to detect, report, and respond to imported cases of poliomyelitis; and assurance of safe containment of polioviruses in laboratories (introduced since 2000).
“This is a momentous victory for the millions of health workers who have worked with governments, nongovernmental organisations, civil society and international partners to eradicate polio from the region. It is a sign of what we can bequeath our children when we work together,” said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, regional director for the WHO Southeast Asia Region.
Polio eradication programmes, through their networks and knowledge in reaching the ‘unreached’, have strengthened the delivery of health services to the most vulnerable communities.
“Thanks to polio eradication, we now know where these children are who were difficult to reach with vaccine. Now the polio programme has successfully reached them with polio drops in every round, there is no excuse not to go back with other critical health services, from how to have a safe birth, to where to get access to tuberculosis treatment and how to prevent HIV infection,” said Dr Khetrapal Singh.
Certification of the Region comes as countries prepare for the introduction of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) in routine immunisation as part of the eventual phasing out of oral polio vaccines (OPV).
Over 120 countries currently use only OPV. These countries will introduce a dose of IPV by the end of 2015 as part of their commitment to the global polio endgame plan which aims to ensure a polio-free world by 2018.
While celebrating the historic achievement, the WHO Regional Director also sounded a word of caution to maintain high vigilance against importation of polio.
“Until polio is globally eradicated, all countries are at risk and the Region’s polio-free status remains fragile. High immunization coverage can prevent an imported virus from finding an underimmunised, susceptible population. A sensitive surveillance system, able to quickly detect and identify any importation and guide a programmatic response, is critical,” she added.
Source: UNBConnect
