Strategy
The four pillars of polio eradication:
1. Routine immunization
2. Supplementary immunization
3. Surveillance
4. Targeted “mop-up” campaigns Strategic Plan 2010–2012
The Strategic Plan 2010–2012 involves tailored geographical approaches and common operational tactics, resulting in a multi-pronged approach for addressing the longstanding barriers to completing eradication.
Tailored geographical approaches
It is now understood that population immunity of >95% is required to stop transmission in Asia, while transmission in sub-Saharan Africa appears to cease after immunity exceeds approximately 80–85%.
In Asia, persistent transmission is highly localized in a few districts. The approach in Asia therefore focuses on district-specific plans to achieve exceptionally high coverage with very frequent supplementary immunization activities to boost population immunity to >95%.
In sub-Saharan Africa, virus transmission persists over a broad area. The approach in Africa therefore focuses on high coverage of supplementary immunization activities, but in a lower number of campaigns over a substantially wider area with state, national and even multi-country plans.
Common operational approaches
Cross-cutting technical innovations and operational approaches are institutionalized in the Strategic Plan to improve programme performance. One example is the increased use of bivalent oral polio vaccine, which was first used in Afghanistan in December 2009.
Objectives
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative has set four strategic objectives for 2010–2012:
- interrupting wild poliovirus transmission in Asia
- interrupting wild poliovirus transmission in Africa
- enhancing poliovirus surveillance and outbreak response
- strengthening immunization systems.
Progress against these objectives is measured by time-bound process milestones, or eradication targets.
Enabling factors
The most important enabling factors for the Strategic Plan are:
- political engagement and oversight
- community mobilization
- vaccine supply
- financing
- prioritization of activities.