Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization, urged the Executive Board at its 130th Session to declare the completion of polio eradication as a programmatic emergency for global public health. Dr Chan said that polio eradication was also on the agenda and that authoritative bodies, such as the Independent Monitoring Board and the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, insisted that countries must stay on course. She said that if commitment faltered polio would come roaring back, and if resolve waivered, it would be the most expensive failure in the history of public health. She urged members to consider resolution [EB130.R10] that proposes declaration of the completion of polio eradication as a programmatic emergency for global public health.
The 130th session of the Executive Board took place in Geneva, 16 January 2012.
Related links
Resolution [EB130.R10] Poliomyelitis: intensification of the global eradication initiative
Report by the Director-General to the Executive Board at its 130th Session
Guidelines for preparedness for wild poliovirus importation 
Dr Bruce Aylward’s speech during Rotary International Convention 2012
Video showing religious leaders' help in changing misconceptions about polio vaccine in Pakistan
