17 February 2016 – The Ministry of Health of Sudan and the World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a 2-day polio outbreak simulation exercise for polio, Expanded Programme on Immunization, and disease surveillance officers in Khartoum last month. The exercise was held to test Sudan’s preparedness to respond to a wild poliovirus (WP) or a vaccine derived poliovirus (VDPV) outbreak.
The Federal Minister of Health Dr Bahr Idris Abu Garda opened the simulation exercise saying that although no polio case has been reported in Sudan over 7 years, a response plan is necessary in the event of WPV or VDPV detection. Sudan has revised and updated its national outbreak preparedness and response plan in light of new standard operating procedures to ensure rapid and robust response to any new polio virus in country. The Minister said that Sudan was prepared to respond to any outbreak with utmost urgency, alluding to the skills and knowledge of well-trained personnel whose capacity has been built over the years. He thanked WHO, UNICEF and other partners for their continued technical and financial support to the government in fighting polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
WHO Country Representative Dr Naeema Al Gasseer, also in attendance, stressed that a polio outbreak was a public health emergency and its implications could be devastating and far-reaching for an affected country on a number of levels: suffering of the local population, effects on the local economy, and damage to national and regional reputation. Dr Al Gasseer congratulated Sudan for the tremendous achievements made in combating polio and other disease outbreaks. She also said that WHO was committed to supporting the country technically through the national polio eradication programme and within the broader framework of integrated diseases surveillance and response. She urged Sudan to continue its excellent work to remain polio free, and ensuring that the disease was eradicated globally by 2018.
Following the exercise, facilitators from the WHO Regional Offices for the Eastern Mediterranean and Africa commended Sudan for its strong plan of action, to fight polio and guard against importations.
Although Sudan is polio free, it is considered at high risk of importation. The success of polio eradication depends on interrupting poliovirus transmission in the 2 countries where endemic WPV continues to circulate and paralyze children – Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Related link
Global Polio Eradication Initiative
