18 August 2025
Distinguished colleagues, Girls and Gents,
It’s my pleasure to welcome you to the twenty fourth intercountry assembly of poliovirus laboratory administrators within the Jap Mediterranean Area.
Your work is important to the Area’s progress in the direction of polio eradication.
The precision, dedication, and collaboration that outline this laboratory community are important to well timed detection, efficient outbreak response, and in the end, eradication.
I want to thank our hosts, the Authorities of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and Dr Iman Shankiti, WHO Consultant in Jordan, for her management and help.
Our Area stays the one one the place wild poliovirus sort 1 nonetheless circulates—confined to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Whereas each international locations face persistent challenges—together with entry and insecurity—2025 has seen a decline in instances, giving us a important window to cease transmission inside the subsequent 6-12 months.
On the identical time, we proceed to reply to outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus sort 2 (cVDPV2) in Djibouti, Palestine, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Earlier outbreaks in Egypt and Sudan have been efficiently ended, due to a swift response and delicate surveillance.
As we transfer nearer to eradication and eventual certification, the standard of surveillance and laboratory efficiency turns into much more necessary.
I commend your efforts to fulfill the targets of the International Poliovirus Surveillance Motion Plan, notably relating to the timeliness of poliovirus detection.
Environmental surveillance is now operational in 17 of the Area’s 22 Member States, and is being deliberate for rolled out in Libya, Morocco, Qatar, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.
All polio laboratories within the Area stay WHO-accredited—a mirrored image of your professionalism and dedication.
Cross-regional collaboration has additionally been very important. I thank our colleagues within the African Area for supporting testing in Somalia and Djibouti.
Regardless of monetary constraints, WHO and GPEI companions stay totally dedicated to supporting this important community.
Thanks to your onerous work and dedication.
We’re almost there. Let’s hold going until we eradicate polio.
