Bangladesh and 10 other Southeast Asian countries are set to be declared polio-free soon, when they achieve polio eradication certificates.
The countries are Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Indonesia, Myanmar, Bhutan, North Korea, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and East Timor.
Vismita Gupta-Smith, public information and advocacy officer at the World Health Organisation’s Regional Office for South-East Asia (SEARO) told journalists: “We expect that SEARO [member countries] will be declared as polio free on March 27, but the final announcement will be declared by Regional Certification Committee. WHO will officially issue press note at that historic moment.”
She made the comment at a media workshop by the WHO yesterday at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel.
The WHO, with the help of Bangladesh Health Reporters Forum, organised the workshop to exchange views with medical journalists about different health issues in Bangladesh.
Dr Jayantha Liyanage, medical officer for the WHO’s Immunization and Vaccines Division, said the WHO required all the member nations of the southeast Asia region to be free of polio patients for at least three years, before the countries could be eligible for polio-free status.
He said six SEARO countries – Bhutan, North Korea, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and East Timor – have been polio-free for more than 15 years, while the rest have remained polio free for different time periods (Bangladesh and Indonesia since 2006, Myanmar since 2007, Nepal since 2010, and India since 2011).
Liyanage expressed hopes that the SEARO states would receive polio-free certificate, unless something unexpected occurred.
He added that the national certification committees of each member country would submit necessary documents to the Regional Certification Committee (RCC) in a meeting on March 26-27.
During the meeting, the RCC would review all the polio case, documents, evidence and performance of the 11 SEARO countries; and if convinced, they would issue polio eradication certificate to all the countries together. A high-powered committee would monitor the polio situation even if the polio-free certificate was issued, he added.
Dr Tajul Islam Bari, Expanded Immunization Programme officer of health directorate, said no polio patient had been found in the country since November 2006.
At present, only three countries are polio-endemic: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria. According to a WHO report, cases of polio have decreased by over 99% since 1988.
Among others, WHO representative in Bangladesh Dr Thushara Fernando, Additional Director General of health directorate Abul Kalam Azad, Media Officer of WHO Saiful Islam and Health Reporters Forum President Toufiq Maruf spoke at the programme.
