WHO congratulates South East Asia for its polio eradication achievements on World Polio Day

Saima Wazed, World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Regional Director for South-East Asia, on Thursday congratulated the region for achieving and maintaining a decade of polio-free status on World Polio Day celebrated today.

“The WHO South-East Asia Region was certified free of wild polioviruses on 27 March 2014. The last case of wild poliovirus in the region was reported in January 2011, and since then, no new cases of wild poliovirus have been reported from any country of this region. This remarkable milestone is a testament to the unwavering political commitment, relentless efforts of the health workers, and the collaborative spirit of partners, donors, civil societies, and all stakeholders that have driven this success. This demonstrates the commendable dedication and commitment to public health and citizens’ well-being of all the countries of our region”, she said.

In her speech she urged SE Asian nations to remain vigilant as polio has not been eradicated completely from the world.

“The international spread of poliovirus remains a public health emergency of international concern. Therefore, it is imperative that we continue to uphold and strengthen polio essential functions. This includes maintaining high immunization coverage, robust surveillance systems, and rapid response mechanisms to any potential outbreaks. It is equally important to ensure containment of polio virus materials, and containment contingency plan according to global guidelines”, she highlighted.

Highlighting the achievements of South East Asia, she noted, “Our region continues to remain on track with all the key strategies for polio eradication. Today, the overall regional coverage of the bivalent oral polio vaccine and the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), through routine immunization, has surpassed pre-pandemic levels. However, it remains sub-optimal in some countries, and subnational variations in coverage continue across the region.”

Her message for all polio stakeholders on the occasion of Polio Day was, “to continue the collaboration at all levels to ensure resources to maintain polio essential functions are available and the global and regional guidelines on sustaining polio-free status are optimally implemented”.

She remarked, “Our collective and continued vigilance and proactive measures are vital in ensuring we do not lose the hard-earned gains of the past decade. By sustaining these efforts, we can protect future generations from the threat of polio and move closer to a world where polio is a disease of the past.”

Towards the end of her speech, she gave a call to “remain united in our mission, drawing inspiration from our shared successes and our demonstrated resilience. Together, we can eradicate polio and secure a healthier, polio-free future for all.”

The World Polio Day was established by Rotary International and is observed on October 24, the birth date of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis.