Winning the battle against the scourge of poliomyelitis in the African Region

Abstract

IntroductionRecently we have recorded some progress against the transmission of poliovirus in the African Region. This is attributable to a number of factors, including commitment of global partnerships against polio, improvement of existing strategies as well as a number of innovations in response to the disease in the Region. MethodsThe WHO Regional Office in Africa documented these practices that led to the noticeable progress in the polio eradication initiative in the African Region, as lessons learnt and as part of polio legacy planning. The documentation exercise covered eight countries, namely Angola, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania and Togo. ResultsA number of practices were identified. Some of these practices cut across countries while others were peculiar to specific countries. We have thus developed some manuscripts to capture these practices for publication in scientific journal so as to place them in the public domain for use. ConclusionIt is hoped that these practices will be deployed to other public health programmes in the Region and beyond.