Celebrating Vigilance and Collaboration in Healthcare
On 24 October, in honour of World Polio Day and the groundbreaking contributions of polio vaccine developer Jonas Salk, Rotary International and the World Health Organization (WHO) celebrated the South-East Asia Region’s outstanding achievement of maintaining polio-free status for over a decade.
The South-East Asia Region was officially certified as polio-free on 27 March 2014, marking a milestone that was the result of tireless efforts by health workers, government agencies, and international health organisations, supported by millions of volunteers. The last recorded wild poliovirus case in the region occurred in January 2011, a testament to the rigorous immunisation and surveillance strategies that remain in place.
Regional Director for WHO South-East Asia, Saima Wazed, reflected on the decade-long triumph while urging continued vigilance. “Although our region has maintained its polio-free status, we cannot afford to let our guard down as long as polio remains endemic in any part of the world,” she stated. Ms Wazed highlighted that ongoing immunisation campaigns, rapid response systems, and robust containment plans are essential in safeguarding the region from potential outbreaks. “This success is a shared responsibility, and it is only with a continued collective effort that we can protect future generations from this debilitating disease,” she added.
The WHO South-East Asia Region has displayed an impressive commitment to vaccination and immunisation efforts, consistently achieving and even exceeding pre-pandemic levels for administering the bivalent oral polio vaccine (bOPV) and the injectable inactivated polio vaccine (IPV). However, disparities in immunisation rates still exist across countries within the region, and Ms Wazed emphasised that closing these gaps is essential for maintaining regional health security. Furthermore, she called for greater resource mobilisation and community involvement to ensure that no child is left unprotected. “While we celebrate this decade-long achievement, we must also reaffirm our commitment to a future where polio is entirely eradicated worldwide,” she remarked.
Her remarks underscore the need for global unity and resilience in the face of remaining challenges, acknowledging that the journey towards a polio-free world is ongoing. The South-East Asia Region stands ready to contribute its experiences and insights to the global polio eradication efforts, embodying a model of success that other regions can emulate.