Third Meeting of the South-East Asia Regional Verification Commission for Measles Elimination and Rubella/Congenital Rubella Syndrome Control

Overview

The Regional Verification Commission for Measles Elimination and Rubella/Congenital Rubella Syndrome Control for the South-East Asia Region (SEA-RVC) was established by the Regional Director in March 2016 to verify progress towards measles elimination and rubella/congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) control in the Region. The third meeting of the SEA-RVC was held in New Delhi, India from 31 July to 02 August 2018.

The key objective of the meeting was to review the country progress reports on measles elimination and rubella/CRS control submitted by national verification committees (NVCs) and verify progress towards measles elimination and rubella/CRS control.

The methodology for review of individual country progress reports was based on the guidelines for the verification of measles elimination and rubella/CRS control in the WHO South-East Asia (SEA) Region endorsed by the SEA-RVC during its first meeting in 2016.

Following an extensive review of evidence, the SEA-RVC verified the Democratic People’s Republic (DPR) of Korea and Timor-Leste as having eliminated endemic measles. The SEA-RVC also verified that Bhutan and Maldives had sustained their measles elimination status after being verified in 2017. Sri Lanka has interrupted transmission of endemic measles for more than 12 months but has not yet been verified. The SEA-RVC categorized the remaining countries in the Region as endemic for measles transmission.

In 2017, the SEA-RVC recommended an in-depth review of the Region’s progress towards rubella/CRS control. A working group on rubella and CRS, which included members from the SEA-RVC and subject matter experts, was formed to provide input on the status of progress towards control of rubella and CRS. The working group’s conclusions were presented at this meeting, and the SEA-RVC endorsed the findings, including verifying control of rubella and CRS in six countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste). The SEA-RVC also agreed to recommend proposing a resolution to eliminate rubella and CRS by 2022 in the 2019 Regional Committee meeting to the WHO South-East Asia Regional Office.