Qatar participated virtually in the seventh meeting of the Regional Subcommittee on Polio Eradication and Outbreaks at the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Qatar delegation was headed by HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari, who is the co-chair of the subcommittee.
She affirmed the importance of strengthening international co-operation to eradicate polio, adding that "the presence of polio anywhere is a risk to children everywhere”.
"Despite the optimistic developments on polio eradication efforts in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where polio is still endemic, we have seen some disappointing setbacks, including the continued transmission of poliovirus in Yemen, and its ability to spread across borders,” HE Dr al-Kuwari said.
She renewed the call on all concerned parties to exert every effort and provide the necessary funding, advocacy and technical expertise to eradicate the disease completely and start polio-free life.
The meeting of the Regional Subcommittee on Polio Eradication and Outbreaks reviewed several key topics, most notably regional developments on polio eradication, a report on the visit of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative leader to Pakistan last year, updates on the polio situation and response efforts in Pakistan, input of the members of the Polio Surveillance Board and Unicef Regional Directors, and the Member States' contributions to polio eradication.