ISLAMABAD: The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has welcomed a report from the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) on polio.
According to GPEI, the report highlighted the geopolitical shifts impacting all global health efforts, including the GPEI.
“The programme agrees with the IMB that the reduction in historic donor support — if realised — will create new challenges.
In response, the GPEI is identifying ambitious, operational shifts that will help countries fully leverage and align more limited resources to address the resurgence of wild poliovirus in the final endemic countries and counter longstanding barriers to reaching children with polio vaccines in subnational regions facing humanitarian crises,” it stated.
“The IMB rightly recognises the challenges in Pakistan and Afghanistan that drove a surge in transmission in 2024. Each national programme — alongside the GPEI Technical Advisory Group — has developed tailored strategies to address persistent risks and obstacles. This includes building trust with communities and frontline workers to address vaccine hesitancy, implementing tactics to reach children in hard-to-access areas, strengthening monitoring mechanisms, and continuing to collaborate closely with local authorities to strengthen cross-border coordination and disease surveillance efforts,” it stated.
IMB report highlights geopolitical shifts impacting all global health efforts
“The GPEI agrees with the IMB’s emphasis on renewed political commitment and improved accountability measures to help facilitate rapid, high-quality outbreak response efforts. Regional planning and cross-border collaboration are critical to containing virus spread in outbreak countries.
For example, a comprehensive Lake Chad Basin coordination plan has received support from seven key countries that aims to synchronise campaigns, enhance surveillance activities, and reach mobile and border populations. Countries in the Horn of Africa and Yemen are also taking concrete steps to intensify coordination to end protracted variant poliovirus spread in this bloc,” it stated.
“Integrating polio services with other health programmes will help boost overall immunity and meet the broader health needs of communities now. In 2024, the GPEI’s integration efforts were strengthened, with more than 40pc of campaigns delivering ‘pluses’ — other childhood vaccines, nutritional supplements, or other health interventions.
“The GPEI is also working with ministries of health and Gavi to boost IPV coverage and support country efforts to improve routine immunisation and integrated delivery systems — a cornerstone of the eradication strategy,” it stated.
“GPEI values the IMB’s ongoing oversight and its shared dedication to eradicating polio worldwide. The programme is carefully reviewing each recommendation and will provide a comprehensive response. We will continue working closely with the IMB, affected countries, and partners to enhance the programme’s effectiveness — strengthening immunisation efforts, mainstreaming gender-sensitive approaches, refining disease monitoring, reinforcing health systems, and ultimately ensuring that no child is paralysed by polio ever again,” the GPEI stated.
A polio expert, while talking to Dawn, said that polio cases were reduced due to Covid-19 in Pakistan.
Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2025