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Poliomyelitis

Policy

Sustaining polio-free status in the European Region

As poliomyelitis (polio) is endemic in neighbouring regions, Member States, WHO and partners must work diligently to sustain the European Region’s polio-free status. WHO/Europe works to help Member States remain polio-free by supporting efforts to strengthen surveillance of poliovirus and by assisting with coordinating and enhancing immunization systems. The only way to prevent polio is by immunization, so maintaining high immunization coverage is pivotal to WHO/Europe’s work on polio. 

Please follow the link at the right to view the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) Strategic Plan for 2010-2012. 

WHO/Europe has also developed guidelines on responding to the detection of wild poliovirus in the European Region. These can be viewed by following the link at the right. Read more about the surveillance of and response to wild polio cases by following the link below.