The GPEI and its partners continue to identify and implement mitigation strategies to address all three risks, including the planned withdrawal of OPV from all routine immunization programmes, comprehensive laboratory containment activities (a Member State-led process endorsed by the World Health Assembly) aimed at limiting the number of laboratories harboring poliovirus and ensuring that those that do are under appropriate biosafety conditions, as well as the implementation of a global iVDPV surveillance and tracking project, and research evaluating new tools (such as antivirals and monoclonal antibodies) to address such situations.
Long-term immunization policies in the post-eradication era continue to be fine-tuned and strengthened as new vaccine solutions, products and formulations become available. The GPEI works in partnership with the broader immunization community to increase availability of all polio vaccines in both routine and booster immunization programs. In line with Gavi's Immunization Agenda 2030, the GPEI aims to reach all remaining zero-dose unvaccinated children with the vaccine, and Gavi continues to play a key role in making affordable IPV more accessible to some of the most vulnerable people.
Maintaining a polio-free world is critical to maintaining capacity for outbreak response, routine immunization, and global disease surveillance to minimize the risk and impact of poliovirus re-emerging or potentially being reintroduced into the post-eradication world. It also means implementing the most sustainable, operationally appropriate, and epidemiologically appropriate routine vaccination program post-eradication, using a combination of different vaccine solutions depending on operational and epidemiological realities.
Finally, the broader benefits of the global polio eradication effort – supporting broader public health, emergency response, and development efforts – must be sustained even after polio is long-term eradicated.
Successful eradication is just the first step. Sustaining that progress in the most appropriate way is the aim of the post-certification era.
