MALAWI – Malawi will be hosting the 29th meeting of the African Regional Certification Commission for Poliomyelitis Eradication (ARCC) at the Bingu International Conference Centre in Lilongwe from 6th June to 10th June 2022.
The Africa Regional Commission for Certification of poliomyelitis eradication (ARCC) is an independent body appointed in 1998 by the WHO Regional Director for African to oversee the certification and containment process.
ARCC is currently evaluating reliability of data in documentation submitted by National Certification Committees to ensure that countries are adhering to the criteria set for the global certification of the indigenous wild poliovirus (WPV)
Malawi was selected to host the ARCC biannual meeting as it is considered a polio-affected country after the country declared an outbreak of wild poliomyelitis on 17th February 2022 following confirmation of the virus type.
Moreover, the ARCC proposed to hold the meeting in Malawi to learn about the response activities going on in the country to stop the wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) transmission and to advocate for continued strong political commitment.
The meeting will be a unique opportunity for Malawian authorities to receive additional ARCC recommendations to guide the country on how to address and stop the current wild poliovirus circulation and prevent future outbreaks.
In addition, the ARCC meeting will review annual certification update reports of six countries including Malawi, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria and Senegal to monitor the level of progress towards polio eradication for countries and the African Region in general.
The ARCC meeting will also serve as a platform for countries to share experiences in implementation of different strategies to combat wild poliovirus as the commission provides guidance that inform country policies and actions towards polio eradication.
During the event, participators will engage in discussions that will provide an opportunity for countries especially Malawi and the African region in general to strengthen global polio eradication activities, the Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP), Environmental Surveillance and immunization systems
Malawian Deputy Minister of Health Honorable Enock Phale and the ARCC Chairperson Professor Rose Leke officially opened the meeting in Lilongwe which is the first face to face meeting since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Deputy Minister of Health Honorable Enock Phale acknowledged the ARCC, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partners for the continued financial and technical support in the fight against polio.
ARCC chairperson Professor Rose Leke said WPV1 outbreak in Malawi was a shock to ARCC especially in achieving the global polio eradication milestones, noting that the emergence of vaccine preventable disease outbreaks in most countries including Circulating Vaccine Derived Polioviruses is also concerning for ARCC.
“It is necessary for Malawi to have very highly sensitive surveillance, high quality vaccination response activities and strengthen routine immunization to ensure that no child is left behind,” ARCC chairperson Professor Rose Leke recommended.
Professor Leke reaffirmed the ARCC’s commitment to remain vigilant and to monitor and advocate for high quality interventions to be made in countries to bridge the immunity and surveillance gaps and stop the Circulating Vaccine Derived Polioviruses.
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