POLIO THIS WEEK

§  Celebrating 3 years polio-free in India: on 11 February, dignitaries from around the world came together at a celebratory event in Delhi. The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, was joined in the celebrations by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Chairperson of the National Advisory Council Sonia Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition Shushma Swaraj, WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan, Rotary International President Ron D Burton and other high-level representatives. The Regional Certification Commission (RCC) for the Southeast Asia Region is expected to convene at end-March and review data from the entire Region, to determine if it will be officially certified as polio-free.

§  In Afghanistan, an immunization response is ongoing to last week’s reported case in Kabul. It was the first case in the province since 2002, and is linked to transmission in neighboring Pakistan. Afghanistan continues to make strong progress towards polio eradication. This latest case in Kabul underscores the ongoing risk polio continues to pose to children everywhere.

Read more by clicking the link below.

Global Polio Eradication Initiative