“The World Health Organization has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse and takes all allegations of misconduct seriously at all levels of our workforce. I appreciate the swift response by the National Emergency Operations Centre in Pakistan to allegations of harassment of a polio frontline worker.    WHO has an uncompromising commitment to...

Islamabad, October 24, 2021 – World Polio Day 2021 was marked by the World Health Organization (WHO) along with all the Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners, led by Rotary International, in all parts of the country with various fundraisers and unique events. This day gave WHO the opportunity to highlight Pakistan’s diligent efforts over the...

For many of the women and men who spent their careers fighting polio, retirement offers not rest and relaxation, but a continuation of their life’s work towards eradication. Across the Eastern Mediterranean Region, once-and-forever polio fighters are inspiring the next generation of eradicators with their commitment to the cause and belief in the...

8 July 2021 – The second meeting of the Regional Subcommittee for Polio Eradication and Outbreaks took place virtually on 1 July 2021, bringing together ministers of health and officials from across the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Convened by Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, the Committee brings...

22 June 2021 – Female polio frontline workers are playing a key role to eradicate polio in Pakistan. Given their trusted roles and responsibilities, they contribute a lot towards vaccinating millions of children across the country. Pakistan remains one of 2 countries where polio is endemic. With each polio campaign, it is essential that the...

Muneera Abdo is one of thousands of vaccinators across Yemen working tirelessly to reach every last child with polio vaccine 22 June 2021 – In Al-Buraika district, a poor neighbourhood in the port city of Aden in Yemen’s south, Muneera Abdo slowly makes her way through the sandy streets. With a scuffed plastic cool box hanging from a strap on her...

A smiling child's left pinky is marked after he received bivalent oral polio vaccine in Banadir, Somalia, during the outbreak response vaccination campaign. The closure of the cVDPV3 outbreak is a win for public health in Somalia. 29 March 2021 – Somalia’s outbreak of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 3 (cVDPV3) has been successfully...

There is little doubt that the year 2020 will go down in history as one of transformation. No life was left untouched by the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted everything from international travel and trade to health systems. But it has not deterred the effort to eradicate polio. The Eastern Mediterranean regional polio programme reflects on 2020 as a...

When we last convened, it was a very different world. The COVID-19 pandemic was hitting its early stride, and the polio programme in our Region had just stepped forward bravely to meet this new public health challenge, working alongside national health programmes and, in countries with limited or weakened health infrastructure, stepping into the...

Delegates listen to Regional Polio Director Dr Hamid Jafari’s presentation on polio eradication in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Credit: WHO/EMRO Renewed political commitment drives likely formation of new subcommittee for polio eradication and outbreaks. 14 October 2020 – Yesterday the 67th Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean...