Honourable Minister, distinguished members of the panel, ladies and gentlemen,
We are so near to polio eradication globally, yet so very far away, in just one country.
WHO’s most highly and densely populated region, South-East Asia, just did it. The vast and densely populated countries of Bangladesh, Indonesia, and now India remain polio-free. This tells the world: there is no such thing as impossible.
In March, WHO declared its South-East Asia Region polio-free. That big step means that 80% of the world’s population now lives in a polio-free country.
At the global level, for the first time ever, the entire world has seen no type 3 poliovirus circulating for well over 18 months. Nigeria is on the verge of eradication. In that country, only 6 children were paralyzed by polio this year, compared with 47 at the same time last year.
The outbreak in the Middle East is waning, with no cases reported since April. The outbreak in the Horn of Africa has likewise slowed down dramatically. We have seen only six cases this year, compared with 185 cases at the same time last year. That’s an encouraging 30-fold drop.
The situation in Cameroon remains worrisome. Too many children have been missed by vaccination campaigns. We know how well an imported poliovirus can take advantage of any weakness, any lapse like this.
Every time we see success we learn. Southeast Asia’s success tells us the importance of a thirst for innovation, and the game-changing value of country ownership at every level, at every strategic turn.
Nigeria used an emergency operations model, devised a host of innovations, and used cutting-edge mapping technology to pinpoint missed communities and children. In the midst of an extremely challenging security situation, Nigeria raised childhood immunity close to the threshold needed for eradication.
Again: there is no such thing as impossible. A polio-free Nigeria opens the door for a polio-free Africa.
And I can tell you another thing. In January, I heard the applause in the Executive Board room when the Nigerian board member reported the country’s polio progress and stated its determination, in the name of the President, to finish the job.
A few weeks later, I travelled to India to celebrate that country’s polio-free status. This kind of success is a source of tremendous national pride. Victory against polio ups a country’s status in the eyes of the entire world.
Let me state the obvious. Pakistan is the single most important stumbling block along the road to ending polio, once and for all. Right now, a massive polio outbreak is sweeping across the country. Worldwide, nearly 9 out of every 10 children paralyzed by polio live in Pakistan. In numbers, that means 166 from Pakistan out of this year’s global total of 178 cases. Think about it. These figures are dramatic.
But so are some of the achievements of Pakistan over the past 12 months. Political and local leaders in Peshawar proved last spring that OPV campaigns can be run without a security incident. Local military commanders in Khyber Agency showed that all children could be reached and vaccinated in that area. This past summer, hundreds of thousands of Waziris were vaccinated in transit posts. Pakistan actually showed that despite the challenges, their children can also be reached, through innovations and a sense of common purpose.
However, those local success stories still have to be coordinated and scaled-up into a national eradication effort, conducted in a full-force emergency mode. Without that, the risk that Pakistan will seed outbreaks and set back progress elsewhere is great.
This is one reason why, on 5 May, I declared the international spread of wild poliovirus since the start of this year a public health emergency of international concern.
The UAE has always stood by the people of Pakistan in times of crisis, and is doing so now. UAE appreciates the importance of success in this country. The personal generosity of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi is being expressed through direct support for vaccination activities throughout Pakistan. We know the priority: to improve the programme’s reach to the most vulnerable children of Waziri communities, and those living in Peshawar and Karachi.
We must see success. The stakes are too high for the rest of the world.
Thank you.