WHO Executive Board: Polio eradication needs urgent action

The WHO Executive Board meeting in Geneva expressed serious concern about the increasing incidence of wild poliovirus transmission in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the last two countries where the disease remains endemic, despite the implementation of unprecedented measures. New approaches to address poliovirus infection include the co-administration of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) with oral polio vaccine (OPV), boosting general immunity in children, and improving access to adequate sanitation. Environmental, geopolitical, infrastructural, and security factors prevalent in the two countries mentioned above are cited as contributing to ongoing poliovirus transmission, thus necessitating the implementation of enhanced surveillance activities in the highest-risk areas, particularly in border regions and among population groups with high levels of territorial mobility, as highlighted by the Regional Director for the Mediterranean, Dr Hanan Balkhy. The importance of implementing robust, resilient, and equitable national health systems was emphasised by member countries, who also underscored the necessity for the transfer of polio resources to support the development of routine immunisation programmes.