COVID-19 continues to have an unprecedented impact on daily life, including access to and demand for essential health services. On March 24, the Polio Oversight Board (POB) of GPEI made recommendations related to polio eradication efforts for countries and regions in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

Since the recommendations were issued, thousands of polio workers have assisted in the COVID-19 response, and polio as well as other vaccine-preventable disease campaigns have been halted. COVID-19 related disruptions to polio programs have resulted in expanding transmission of poliovirus, further compounded by disruption to essential immunization and other essential health services. This is particularly of concern in polio-endemic countries affected by outbreaks of both wild and vaccine-derived polioviruses, where the circulation of polioviruses is expected to increase exponentially during the upcoming high transmission season. Other countries affected by outbreaks of vaccine-derived polioviruses are also expected to see increase in transmission. GPEI  recommended that surveillance for polioviruses should continue, however, maintaining quality surveillance has proven difficult, leading to possible knowledge gaps on the extent of polio virus transmission.

 

GPEI reaffirmed unwavering commitment to polio eradication, and a regular review of the situation. Looking forward, the pandemic will evolve and affect regions, countries and subnational areas in different ways and in different stages. Similarly, countries and subnational regions will be in different stages of restriction on movement and population contact rates. In the context of the ongoing pandemic and the resumption of vaccination campaigns, GPEI will support countries to make decisions on when and where to implement polio vaccination campaigns, based on national risk assessments in close collaboration with national immunization and other health programmes. This will require innovative and adaptive strategies to engage communities.