South-East Asia Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication (‎SEA-RCCPE)‎

Overview

All 11 countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region (SEAR) were certified as polio free by the South-East Asia Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication (SEA-RCCPE) on 27 March 2014. In view of the continued risk of wild poliovirus importation from an infected area or country, it was recommended that the SEA-RCCPE and National Certification Committees for Polio Eradication (NCCPEs) should remain active until global certification, in order to assist countries in the Region to remain polio free and maintain preparedness for importations. In addition, the SEA-RCCPE oversight functions also remain critical in the framework of the global ‘Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan 2013–2018’ (Endgame Plan) in which ‘certification and containment’ is one of the four key objectives.

In this context, the eighth SEA-RCCPE meeting was held in Bali, Indonesia, from 22 to 24 September 2015, with the following specific objectives.

(1)    To review updated reports from each Member State on maintaining polio-free status, including poliovirus laboratory containment, since the regional certification in March 2014 and as per requirements of the ‘Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan 2013–2018’.

(2)    To review implementation status of the recommendations made at the seventh meeting of the SEA-RCCPE.

(3)    To review national and regional risk assessments in order to highlight gaps in the levels of immunity and the quality of surveillance at national and subnational levels.

(4)    To review evidence from all Member States that wild poliovirus type 2 has been interrupted in all countries for South-East Asia Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication (SEA-RCCPE) 2 more than 10 years and report findings and recommendations to the Global Certification Commission (GCC).

(5)    To update the GCC on the South-East Asia regional polio-free certification status.