South-East Asia Marks 15 Years Without Wild Poliovirus: WHO

South-East Asia has completed 15 years without a single case of wild poliovirus, marking a major public health milestone, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Tuesday.

The region, which is home to nearly a quarter of the global population, continues to sustain its polio-free status through robust surveillance, high immunisation coverage and sustained political commitment.

According to the WHO, the region has also leveraged innovations and lessons from the polio eradication programme to strengthen broader public health systems.

Dr Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge of the WHO South-East Asia Region, described the achievement as the result of unprecedented collective effort.

She said strong government leadership, a committed health workforce and close community partnerships played a decisive role in eliminating the disease.

“The journey from polio endemicity to sustained polio-free status shows that ambitious public health goals are achievable,” Boehme noted, underlining the importance of long-term commitment.

Health authorities reported the region’s final case of wild poliovirus on January 13, 2011, when the virus paralysed an 18-month-old girl in Howrah district of West Bengal.

Following the case, authorities launched an extensive and intensive public health response.

These efforts culminated in the WHO officially declaring South-East Asia polio-free on March 27, 2014.

Strict Surveillance Maintained to Prevent Importation

The WHO said countries in the region continue to maintain strict vigilance to prevent poliovirus importation.

In 2025 alone, health authorities collected and tested more than 50,000 stool samples through a network of 13 WHO-accredited polio laboratories, including national, regional and global reference centres.

Surveillance indicators across the region remain well above certification standards.

Environmental surveillance is also underway at 93 sites across five countries, focusing on high-risk populations.

Meanwhile, immunisation coverage has remained consistently high. Vaccination with the bivalent oral polio vaccine and at least one dose of the inactivated polio vaccine has exceeded 90 per cent for several years.

Despite the success, the WHO cautioned that risks remain as long as polio exists anywhere in the world.

Boehme stressed that countries must sustain strong immunisation systems, sensitive surveillance and rapid response mechanisms for polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases.

She reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to supporting nations in protecting every child and advancing disease elimination across the region.