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Stopping a large polio epidemic in record time in Yemen
The Government of Yemen, in close collaboration with the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO/EMRO), has succeeded in stopping a polio outbreak in record time. WHO headquarters in Geneva described the outbreak as “the largest epidemic that has affected one country in recent years”.
The poliovirus was transmitted to Yemen from neighbouring countries in February 2005. 478 polio cases were detected among children 2 years after Yemen had been declared polio-free. With full support from WHO/EMRO and other concerned organizations, Yemen went through a serious battle to halt transmission of the virus. With direct involvement and supervision by Dr Hussein A. Gezairy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, the highest political will was ensured, all technical and financial support required was provided, good quality vaccines were made available to cover mass immunization campaigns, and National Immunization Days were held all over the country as a supplement to routine immunization activities.
The full political support of H.E. Mr Ali Abdullah Saleh, President of Yemen, was the key element in making the efforts a success and helped stop the outbreak within 4 months. Outbreaks such as these usually take an entire year before intensive efforts can control them and stop the virus transmission. No cases have been reported since February 2006. Yemen’s experience has been described by WHO experts as “a significant achievement in the public health field and a success story”.
Yemen is one of many countries in the Region that had managed to eliminate polio before 2005—the previously fixed deadline to reach the globally targeted goal of polio eradication. The Region has had many success stories in its efforts to achieve polio-free status. The Regional Office was a pioneer in putting the polio eradication programme under the direct supervision of the Regional Director. This supervision and daily follow-up on the latest developments in all countries made it possible to overcome obstacles and solve problems immediately. Other key factors in the success of the programme were the development of effective surveillance systems, the establishment of a network to exchange data and experiences among Member States, and the issuing of the weekly PolioFax newsletter.
The year also saw many other polio eradication programme successes, such as Egypt being declared polio-free and the cessation of poliovirus transmission in many parts of Somalia. The remaining challenge is to eradicate polio from both Afghanistan and Pakistan, the only two countries in the Region where the virus is still endemic.
The 53rd session of RC for the Eastern Mediterranean opens with a call for a violence-free
H.E Dr Bervis Davoodi, Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, called for stronger and more enduring cooperation among Member States of the Eastern Mediterranean Region to ensure greater equity in delivery of healthcare. Inaugurating the 53rd Session of the Regional Committee today in Isfahan, the Vice President urged delegates to introduce innovative scientific methods so that healthcare is available and within reach of the most vulnerable. In this regard, he stressed the importance of the spiritual dimension that calls upon all humans to make the best use of science and break the scientific taboos.
The Vice President underlined the need for developing countries to be supported in evolving new technology and methods bridging the gaps between the rich and the poor and between developed and developing countries.
Recognizing that countries in the Region are threatened both by emerging infectious diseases like avian influenza, and by long-standing diseases like HIV AIDS, malaria, and TB the Vice President emphasized the importance of developing a well-trained and dedicated public health workforce. He said this would promote efficiency of the health systems to prevent, control and eliminate the chronic diseases in the Region.
H.E. Dr Davoodi expressed his country’s readiness for full cooperation and exchange of experiences and ideas with WHO and other Member States.
In his address, Dr Hussein Gezairy, Regional Director for WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region remembered the late Dr .J W.Lee, WHO Director-General who passed away last May, saying that Dr Lee had led the world’s efforts in fighting HIV/AIDS through his 3x5 initiative and worked hard on the decentralization of WHO’s work, from Head Quartersa to Regions to countries
He denounced the violation of international laws through the aggression against civilians in Lebanon and use of cluster bombs against them. He emphasized the importance of investing in emergency preparedness giving the impact in the Region in countries such as Iraq, Somalia , Sudan, Afghanistan and Pakistan..
The Regional Director stressed the importance of the spread of avian influenza throughout the world and referenced it as the most daunting health challenge today. He applauded the 10 countries of the Region hit by the avian influenza for being transparent in tackling the situation. “WHO has alerted the world about the avian influenza pandemic. It is time for more efforts to contain the pandemic and it is important to have clear cut plans to face the threat” Dr Gezairy said.
The Regional Director emphasized the progress achieved towards declaring EMR a polio free. He hailed Egypt for freeing itself from the deeply-rooted virus and expressed hope that both Pakistan and Afghanistan, the two countries where the poliovirus is still endemic, would be soon declared polio-free.
He urged Member States to focus on vaccination safety, saying that the Region has to gain self sufficiency of vaccine production, especially with some countries such as Egypt and the Islamic Republic of Iran having the potentials for producing vaccines.
Dr Gezairy emphasized the importance of addressing the health impacts of social issues such as poverty reduction. He underlined the importance of strengthening public health infrastructure by producing a balanced health workforce, giving attention to health promotion and focusing on disease prevention and control.
In his brief speech, Dr Andres Nordstrom, Acting Director General referred to the untimely death of the late Dr J.W. Lee and pledged to continue the mission of the late Director General He emphasized the clear relevance and importance of WHO’s role and core functions whether providing technical support, assessing health trends, setting norms and standards, articulating policy options or providing leadership He highlighted the importance of engagement with partners.
In his welcome address, H.E. Dr Kamran Lankarani, Minister of Health and Medical
Education of the host country, the Islamic Republic of Iran, said that without paying attention to the social effects of poverty and unemployment and without considering social justice, development cannot take place. He acknowledged the important contribution by WHO in supporting the key national health programmes. saying that the Regional Committee is an opportunity to achieve unanimity and cooperation among Member States and to pay a critical look to what we have done and find solutions to emerging problems
The opening session of the 53rd session of the Regional Committee, saw the launch of the Arabic version of the WHO report on Chronic Disease, followed by the signing ceremony of a joint statement by the 22 Health Ministers and heads of delegations.
The participants will also discuss several important health issues including the revised strategy for malaria control in the Region. They will be updated on the global fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Pandemic influenza preparedness and response and recovery activities in countries affected by emergencies. An important discussion will be around a regional strategy for knowledge management to support public health.
