South-East Asia marks 15 years of polio-free: WHO

New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS) South-East Asia Region, home to a quarter of the world’s population, has marked 15 years since recording its last case of wild poliovirus, said the World Health Organization (IANS) on Tuesday.

The region continues to sustain its polio-free status while harnessing innovations and lessons from the polio programme to accelerate broader public health progress, the global health body said.

“This extraordinary achievement followed unparalleled efforts and demonstrates what can be accomplished and sustained through unwavering government leadership, a dedicated health workforce, and strong partnerships, including with communities,” said Dr Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge, WHO South-East Asia Region.

“The journey from polio endemicity to sustained polio-free status demonstrates that ambitious public health goals are achievable,” Boehme added.

An 18-month-old girl, paralysed by wild poliovirus in West Bengal’s Howrah on January 13, 2011, was the last case of wild poliovirus reported in the Southeast Asia Region.

The case was followed by an extensive and intensive response that led to the WHO declaring the region polio-free on March 27, 2014.

The UN health body noted that the Region continues to maintain strict vigil against poliovirus importation and protect children through vaccination against a disease that once caused widespread paralysis and death.

In 2025, more than 50,000 stool samples were collected across the Region and tested through a network of 13 WHO-accredited polio laboratories, including national, regional, and global reference laboratories. Surveillance across the Region continues to exceed the standards required to maintain polio-free certification.

Environmental surveillance is also being conducted at 93 sites among the high-risk population in five countries.

Coverage with bivalent oral polio vaccine and at least one dose of inactivated polio vaccine has remained above 90 per cent for many years.

“As long as polio exists anywhere in the world, the risk of importation remains. Countries must sustain high immunisation coverage, sensitive surveillance, and rapid response capacities for polio as well as other vaccine-preventable diseases,” Boehme said

“WHO remains committed to supporting countries to protect every child through strong routine immunisation systems and to advance disease elimination across the Region,” she added.