WHO South-East Asia Region is officially certified polio-free

WHO South-East Asia Region is officially certified polio-free

Coming a long way - together

Every child, everywhere, every time

Achievement of polio-free status demonstrates the commitment and determination of all Member States and partners, and this goal was reached through diverse and unique approaches in each country.

This photo story highlights these innovative approaches and commemorates the journey of polio eradication in WHO's South-East Asia Region

Bangladesh

Multi-sectoral coordination: Under the leadership of government, various governmental and non-governmental organizations and civil society participated in polio vaccination campaigns engaging 600 000 volunteers to mobilize the communities. Health messages were promoted in innovative ways including advocacy by religious and community leaders, through micro-credit programmes and by mobile phones. Children also joined as boy and girl guides.

Bhutan

Reaching over the mountains: As a component of Gross National Happiness, affordable and accessible health care is central to the national policy of Bhutan. The Constitution of Bhutan charges the Royal Government with providing free access to basic public health services in both modern and traditional medicine. Immunization reaches the most far-flung places in Bhutan.

Democratic People's Republic of Korea

Family doctor system: Besides an extensive network of hospitals and polyclinics, health services are delivered by section doctors working with the communities. This includes immunization services at the primary care level. This section doctor set-up, where a single physician is responsible for an area containing 100-200 households or 300-400 individuals, forms the foundation of the health-care system.

India

Vaccinating children on the move: Besides nationwide mega-scale immunization campaigns in which 2.3 million vaccinators reach out to 170 million children in each round, India focused on migrant and mobile populations. This is to ensure that children on the move with their families, who often miss vaccination, are also protected against polio. Migrant populations were mapped and reached across the country, with polio vaccinators positioned at gatherings, transit points and on buses and trains.

Indonesia

Intensified routine immunization: By declaring 2012 the Year of Intensification of Routine Immunization, innovative approaches were adopted to increase immunization coverage. This included capacity-building for immunization supervisors and revising immunization guidelines for health workers in the field. Midwives in villages updated their registers for targeted follow-up of drop-outs. Immunization is jointly carried out with maternal and child health, nutrition and health promotion activities in hard-to-reach areas at least four times a year.

Maldives

Crossing the seas: In Maldives today, the 194 inhabited islands of the archipelago are connected with an extensive health-care network designed to ensure easy and equitable access to all communities. Every island has a health facility where doctors, nurses and community health workers work as a team to deliver health services to the farthest islands. In the past, small sailing vessels known as Bokkura were used to transport vaccines to the hundreds of tiny islands scattered across the Indian Ocean.

Myanmar

Surveillance medical officer network: Surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) is one of the key strategies for polio eradication. In Myanmar's surveillance network, each state's focal person for AFP surveillance is responsible for overseeing the monthly reporting of 17 notifiable diseases. This includes the weekly reporting of AFP. These team leaders are supported by a focal person in each township who carries out similar reporting duties under the supervision of the township medical officer.

Nepal

Keeping up the guard: During times when neighbouring countries still had polio, Nepal made special efforts to identify high-risk areas along its borders to strengthen its polio vaccination services and build a wall of immunity. Vaccination campaigns were synchronized and teams established at the borders. No place was left unreached, and cross-border meetings exchanged information to improve coordinated interventions.

Sri Lanka

Immunization as part of investing in social development: For many years, the country has invested in social development by establishing a health-care system with maternal, child health and immunization at its core. The public health sector is accessible and almost every treatment is free of charge. Government spending for health focuses on the poorest to ensure that every child has a healthy start in life.

Thailand

Political commitment at the highest level: During the inauguration of the first national polio immunization campaign in 1994, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn gave the first drops of polio vaccine. The campaign encouraged all agencies from government and private sectors to support and participate in the immunization drive. This message also went out to the communities. As a result, vaccination coverage among the target children is over 90%. There have been no polio cases in Thailand since 1997.

Timor-Leste

Establishing a health-care system as a "newborn country": After its independence in 2002, the country immediately started rebuilding its entire infrastructure, including the health-care and immunization system