POLIO [to 16 July 2016]
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

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Polio this week as of 12 July 2016
:: The Technical Advisory Group on polio eradication for Afghanistan met in Kabul on 11-13 July and reviewed progress towards interrupting the transmission of polio and discussed solutions to upcoming challenges.

:: The Pakistan Technical Advisory Group met in Islamabad on 28-29 June and concluded that a united focus between partners and enhanced community ownership of programme interventions has been key to continuing progress in the country towards eradicating polio. More.[see below]

:: The Independent Monitoring Board will meet in London next week to assess progress towards polio eradication.

Selected Country Levels Updates [excerpted]
No new cases at country level reported.

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Technical Advisory Group Meets to Assess Eradication Efforts in Pakistan
Experts gathered in Pakistan in June to review progress and to renew plans for the coming months.
Monday, July 04, 2016
The Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on polio eradication has met in Islamabad for the second time this year to discuss progress, remaining obstacles and opportunities as Pakistan edges closer to achieving the goal of stopping transmission of the virus.

Senior leaders from across the Global Polio Eradication Initiative joined Federal and Provincial team leads as they briefed TAG members on the progress made since the last meeting in January 2016. The group also assessed plans for updates to the 2016/17 National Emergency Action Plan leading into the next low transmission season.

Progress in Pakistan
As of the end of June 2016, 12 cases of wild poliovirus type 1 have been reported, a 57 per cent reduction from the same time in 2015. This improvement was attributed by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative to the united front now being presented by the team of partners working together under the leadership of the government through a network of Emergency Operation Centers. Progress was also ascribed to other strategies, such as the expansion of community based vaccination and health camps, which have helped with enhancing community ownership of the programme interventions. In addition, thousands of trained and dedicated frontline workers have ensured that 280 million children have received polio drops during nine campaigns conducted in the low transmission season. The successful campaigns of the inactivated polio vaccine in targeted high risk areas of Karachi, Khyber Peshawar and Quetta block helped in quick immunity boosting of approximately 3 million vulnerable children…