WHO for use of polio programme resources to meet wider public

Countries in the South-East Asia region should optimise the resources from their polio programmes for other public health goals like immunisation, surveillance and emergency response, the WHO has said even as the region tomorrow completes five years without any case of wild poliovirus.
While lauding the achievement, Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia, said there is a continued threat of poliovirus importation from the remaining polio-endemic countries.
"Completing half-a-decade without any case of wild poliovirus is an achievement. Globally, polio transmission is at its lowest-ever levels.
"However, the risk of importation of the poliovirus into all polio-free areas persists," said Singh.

She further said that efforts to keep the region polio- free have been possible due to numerous strategies that helped strengthen immunisation and disease surveillance and promote community ownership.
"While these lessons learnt are now being adopted by the remaining endemic areas, countries in the region need to replicate these strategies and optimally use the polio programme resources for other public health goals, particularly in the areas of immunisation, surveillance and emergency response.

"A polio-free world is in sight. We must continue to make efforts to rid the world of the crippling disease," she said.
WHO South-East Asia Region reported its last case of wild poliovirus in West Bengal, India, in 2011, which facilitated polio-free certification of the region on March 27, 2014.

As part of the 'Polio End Game' strategy, countries in the region are accelerating the introduction of one dose of injectable inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) in childhood immunisation schedules along with plans for a globally synchronised, phased and sequential withdrawal of oral polio vaccines from the programme.
These strategies are aimed at addressing all polio -- including the rare cases of vaccine derived polio.