Polio-free certification of the WHO South-East Asia Region - How did we get there?

The strategy to eradicate polio rested on four main pillars; routine immunization, mass polio immunization drives, surveillance to detect the disease and “mop-up” local immunization campaigns to hit viruses wherever they appeared. The motto for the effort was “Every Child, everywhere, every time” and all 11 countries demonstrated their regional solidarity.

Strategic planning and policy development was evidence based and innovative. Partnership management and donor coordination resulted in commitment from the early days to the final achievement and beyond. Mobilizing political and social support were key to reaching out to families and communities and most vulnerable. Real-time programme monitoring systems enabled rapid detection of polio cases and outbreak and response. An independent oversight framework involving key stake holders ensured consistency and data driven feedback to the countries to ensure that the programme stayed on track.