• G8 leaders urge utmost efforts for polio eradication:  At their annual G8 Summit, held this year from 6-8 June in Heiligendamm, Germany, G8 leaders committed to make the utmost efforts to eradicate polio, and vowed to also work with other organizations to close the urgent funding shortfalls. 

• Insufficient funds imperil polio eradication effort - WHO DG personally advocates for rapid funding from global leaders:  Given the acute financing gap at present, WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan is personally advocating for development ministers, foundations and other donors to immediately mobilize additional financial resources.  Dr Chan sent a document entitled "The Case for Completing Polio Eradication" to key global leaders, including the heads of state, and finance and health ministers of the remaining polio-endemic countries as well as foreign and development ministers of donor countries.  "The Case," which outlines the humanitarian and economic benefits of polio eradication, was presented by Dr Chan at last month's World Health Assembly (WHA).  In her most recent communication, Dr Chan urged individual stakeholders to rapidly do their part to fill the 2007-2008 global funding gap of US$ 540 million, stating that "insufficient funds now imperil the entire 20-year eradication effort.." (Download the document in English/French - pdf). 

• Islamic countries call for urgent action to fill funding gap and for Days of Tranquillity
  Members of the Organization of Islamic Conference said polio eradication was an "urgent priority", during the first-ever meeting of health ministers of the group, held on 12-15 June in Malaysia.  The OIC called on countries in conflict to adopt "Days of Tranquillity" so vaccinators may safely reach children and urged member countries, the international community, and the Islamic Development Bank to help fill the US$ 540 million funding gap for 2007-08.
• National technical advisory bodies in endemic countries convene to refine tactics:  Following the recommendation of new and tailored eradication tactics for 2007, the national technical advisory bodies of all four remaining endemic countries convened in May and early June to review latest epidemiological and programmatic data and to further refine the tailored tactics to reach all children with oral polio vaccine (OPV) in the second half of 2007.  Reports from technical advisory meetings are available at www.polioeradication.org/meetings.asp. 
• 143 million children immunized during intensified eradication efforts in May: During immunization campaigns held during the month of May, more than 143 million children were immunized in the remaining endemic countries, as well as the re-infected countries of Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Nepal and Somalia.
• Type 1 polio cornered as never before - major step towards polio-free world:  In all four endemic countries, type 1 polio has been successfully cornered, a major step towards a polio-free world,  given type 1's historically higher disease burden and potential to spread internationally.  This year:  in western Uttar Pradesh, India, only one type 1 case has been reported (compared to 18 type 1 cases for the same period in 2006); in northern Nigeria, from the three highest-risk states of Jigawa, Kano and Katsina, only one type 1 case has been reported (compared to 256 type 1 cases for the same period in 2006); Pakistan marked its longest period of time ever without type 1 cases – 14 weeks between 30 January and 14 May; and in Afghanistan, only three type 1 cases have been reported this year (compared to 10 type 1 cases for the same period in 2006).  This suggests that the tailored eradication tactics, coupled with large-scale use of monovalent oral polio vaccine type 1 (mOPV1), are working.     
• India --  Minister of Health calls urgent meeting to finish the job:  Supporting a proposal by Rotary India, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr A. Ramadoss met on 6 June with state health ministers from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and re-infected states.  With progress against type 1 polio in the country, the high-level discussions focused on further intensifying eradication efforts and the need to re-engage full political commitment at all levels.

Nigeria

• In 2007, 105 cases have been reported (27 type 1 and 78 type 3). 
• A polio case was reported from Rivers state, in the south of the country.  It is the first case in the south in nearly two years (since August 2005), and genetic sequencing confirmed it is an importation from the north.  The response to this type 3 case is a mop-up immunization activity using trivalent OPV starting 28 June, followed by an additional round in August. 
• On 23-26 June, Immunization Plus Days (IPDs) are being held in key high-risk areas, targeting more than 15 million children.  As part of ongoing cross-regional collaboration, technical staff from EMRO have been deployed to Nigeria for two months to support the planning, implementing and monitoring of the IPDs.
• The focus during the June IPDs, and for activities throughout the rest of the year, is to reduce the proportion of zero dose children in 'very high risk states' to <10%, improve the inconsistent coverage from round to round in neighbouring states; improve on inconsistent engagement across all Local Government Areas (LGAs); and increase the quality of work by vaccination teams, particularly in critical northern areas. 

India

• In 2007, 62 cases have been reported , 34 type 1 and 28 type 3.
• On 29-30 May, the India Expert Advisory Group on Polio Eradication  recommended further intensification of eradication efforts, including the identification of migrant populations and flood-prone areas in Bihar; and the implementation of immediate mop-ups to respond to any potential type 1 polio detected in western Uttar Pradesh. Focus remains on reaching young children with monovalent OPV (mOPV) in key high risk areas of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
• Northern Bihar has a persistent pocket of type 1 polio transmission; Bihar accounts for nearly half of the country's type 1 cases in 2007. Although type 3 polio continues to be reported, transmission is restricted to a handful of districts in western Uttar Pradesh, thanks to selected use of mOPV type 3, adapted regularly in response to epidemiological status.
• The WHO Director-General's Representative for Polio Eradication, Dr David Heymann, met with the Chief Minister of Bihar on 7 June.  Similar high-level meetings are planned with Uttar Pradesh’s new Chief Minister  Mayawati, who had called polio eradication a 'state priority' during the official launch of the 20 May polio vaccination campaign.

Afghanistan and Pakistan 

• In 2007, 9 cases have been reported in Pakistan, and 3 have been reported in Afghanistan. 
• In 2006 and 2007, poliovirus has been limited to known reservoir areas that straddle both countries and must be tackled together.  Both countries continue to synchronize activities, focusing on reaching mobile populations, and those living in border areas and in areas of insecurity.
• Despite this progress, access to all populations continues to be severely hampered, particularly in key areas of the Southern Region In Afghanistan and in the  tribal areas of North West Frontier Province (NWFP) in Pakistan. 
• To facilitate access, activities are being staggered in some key areas, first focusing on border regions, before re-deployment of technical staff to other high-risk districts to support the campaigns. 

Re-infected countries   

• Outbreak response activities continue in the three areas with ongoing transmission following importation of a poliovirus: the Horn of Africa (the cross-border area of northern and central Somalia and the Somali region of Ethiopia); the Bangladesh-Myanmar border area; and central Africa (Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo).  The latter block is of particular concern, following a nearly six-month gap in Angola between reported cases (November 2006 to April 2007).  Due to ongoing sub-national surveillance gaps, undetected circulation cannot be ruled out.
• Niger and Nepal remain at particular risk of repeated, isolated polio importations, due to their geographic proximity to endemic areas (northern Nigeria, and Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, India). 

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Polio eradication will only succeed if the necessary funds are made available, and with strong political commitment in polio-affected countries. More than 10 million children will be paralysed in the next 40 years if the world fails to capitalize on its >US$5 billion global investment in eradication.