Distinguished members of the global and regional polio certification commissions, national certification committees, the Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group, representatives of ministries of health and partner agencies, WHO colleagues, ladies and gentlemen,
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to this 13th meeting of the South-East Asia Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication, or RCCPE – the first to be conducted online.
Let me begin by congratulating the WHO African Region, which on 25 August was certified by the Africa Regional Certification Commission to have eradicated wild polio.
More than 20 years since Nelson Mandela launched the “Kick Polio Out of Africa” campaign, the tireless efforts of governments, health workers and communities have succeeded, bringing us closer to our goal of eradicating polio globally.
I take this opportunity to welcome the new members of this Commission: Professor Jayaprakash Muliyil, from India; Professor Khin Nyo Thein, from Myanmar; and Dr Sunethra Gunasena, from Sri Lanka.
You join this body at a time of great challenge.
The emergence and spread of COVID-19 has disrupted the work of polio programmes, resulting in increased poliovirus transmission in countries outside of our Region, which has been compounded by disruptions to essential immunization and health services.
Wild poliovirus remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and several countries are now battling outbreaks of vaccine-derived polioviruses, indicating vaccination coverage gaps.
Even in ordinary times, the circulation of polioviruses exponentially increases during the high transmission season, and this year will be no exception.
Since January 2011, the South-East Asia Region has not reported a single case of wild poliovirus. But the risk has increased.
The Region’s five polio-priority countries have experienced nation-wide or partial “lockdowns”, which have disrupted immunization and surveillance activities.
Although some regional capacity building and coordination activities have been postponed, many more have been carried out, albeit virtually.
In many at-risk areas, the human workforce and polio infrastructure has been re-purposed, providing much-needed support to the COVID-19 response, and demonstrating the immense value polio programmes provide across all areas of health.
But it has also created gaps that we must quickly fill.
Notably, the pandemic has created financial risks for the implementation of polio endgame strategies in countries of the Region and beyond.
The diversion of domestic and Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) resources has the potential to undermine the work of polio programmes, including laboratory networks, immunization and surveillance activities.
To avoid that, and to ensure the long-term sustainability of polio infrastructure, all countries should implement transition plans in a timely manner and continue to mobilize domestic resources or alternative funding.
I am encouraged by how polio stakeholders have adjusted to the “new normal”.
For over six months now WHO has supported countries to implement a set of guiding principles for maintaining polio and immunization activities amid the pandemic.
It is inspiring to see virtual platforms being harnessed, for example for the polio outbreak response assessment, or OBRA, in Indonesia, and for meetings of the Regional Working Group for partner coordination.
The Indonesia OBRA was the first virtual OBRA conducted anywhere, providing important lessons to the GPEI and other countries.
A regional dashboard has also been developed to monitor country-wise status across a range of areas, from immunization programme performance to the status of acute flaccid paralysis and vaccine preventable disease (VPD) surveillance.
High-quality information is essential to the development of locally tailored interventions.
All 11 countries in the Region have now developed plans to improve immunization coverage, which have been shared with subnational stakeholders.
I commend countries for resuming routine immunization, and for the substantial improvements that have been achieved with regard to coverage, which is in some countries back to pre-pandemic levels.
As a Region, we must continue to learn from one another in all aspects of the response, which I am certain your discussions will facilitate.
Amid the pandemic, the Region is pulling out all stops to maintain essential health services, for which your efforts to maintain immunization and VPD surveillance will greatly contribute.
I am pleased that the annual reports of National Certification Committees for Polio Eradication (NCCPE) document the impact of the COVID-19 response on polio programme activities. The systematic and analytical use of data contained in the reports provides a solid foundation for the recommendations that will come out of this meeting.
I appreciate the hard work of this Commission and the NCCPEs to support national immunization programmes in these challenging times.
I thank and acknowledge the contributions of RCCPE members whose tenure was completed at the end of 2019 – that is, Dr Abraham Joseph from India, Dr Kyaw Nyunt Sein from Myanmar, and Dr Nalini Withana from Sri Lanka.
I look forward to being apprised of your discussions, and to learning of the success or otherwise of actions to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the polio-free status of countries in our Region.
As the battle against COVID-19 continues, together we must work ever harder ever to keep the South-East Asia Region polio-free and contribute towards our final goal – global polio eradication.
Thank you.