13 March 2016 – A 4-day workshop to build country capacity to respond to any possible polio outbreak was organized by the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean from 6 to 9 March 2016 in Beirut, Lebanon. Representatives from ministries of health of 11 countries of the Region took part in the interactive workshop, which was facilitated by staff from WHO and UNICEF.
The objectives of the workshop were to:
- discuss globally developed Standard Operating Procedures; and
- build country capacity of those countries which remain polio free but are at high risk of importation of wild poliovirus from the endemic countries or emergence of vaccine-derived poliovirus.
Representatives of the 2 remaining polio-endemic countries – Afghanistan and Pakistan – participated to share their experiences and lessons learned. Until poliovirus transmission is interrupted in these countries, all countries remain at risk of importation of polio.
Iraq, Islamic Republic of Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, occupied Palestinian territory, Somalia, Sudan and Syria took part in simulation exercises and developed national preparedness plans following group work sessions. Other countries of the Region will take part in a second workshop in April 2016. As the world moves ever closer to eradication, Member States of WHO have established new obligations for countries reporting polio outbreaks.