Event notice
In light of increased detections of polioviruses in the WHO European Region over the past 2 years, collaboration among key stakeholders is essential to assess regional progress towards the objectives of the Global Polio Surveillance Action Plan 2025–2026 (GPSAP), strengthen national capacities and ensure continuity of high-quality poliovirus surveillance.
This subregional meeting will provide participants from 9 countries in eastern Europe and central Asia with the opportunity to:
- review the GPSAP, focusing on its key strategies and objectives, and translating the Plan to the regional context;
- review polio surveillance capacity and address gaps in surveillance quality and timeliness, with the aim of improving virus detection and reporting;
- discuss integration strategies for polio surveillance with that of other vaccine-preventable diseases and health surveillance systems;
- develop a roadmap to sustain sensitive surveillance systems following poliomyelitis (polio) eradication; and
- identify priority actions, support needs and possibilities for trainings, visits and follow-up activities for 2026–2027.
Participants will include national health officials involved in coordination of poliovirus surveillance and/or polio eradication programmes, representatives of national and subnational polio laboratories and members of the Global Polio Laboratory Network.
The working language of the meeting will be Russian, with English translation available.
Event highlights
WHO/Europe hosted a subregional meeting for representatives of national immunization programmes and reference laboratories from 9 countries in eastern Europe and central Asia to review regional progress and challenges in poliovirus surveillance. This gathering was crucial to assessing the current landscape of polio prevention efforts and ensuring a coordinated approach to achieving the global polio eradication goal.
Discussions covered key topics, including implementation of the Global Polio Surveillance Action Plan 2025–2026 (GPSAP), cessation of bivalent oral polio vaccine, optimization of wastewater surveillance, preparedness for poliovirus events and outbreaks, and the integrated health-security approach to polio eradication. Participants exchanged insights and experiences; identified common challenges related to surveillance sensitivity, timeliness of reporting, workforce capacity and cross-border coordination; and identified strategies to enhance the effectiveness of polio surveillance in their respective countries.
All discussions underscored the importance of a collaborative approach, and participants also recognized that all activities related to polio eradication, especially those recognized in national polio preparedness and response plans, must be integrated into broader health security frameworks. Country representatives articulated their priorities for technical assistance and future capacity-building activities to strengthen their surveillance capacities.
The meeting concluded with a strong commitment to regional preparedness, surveillance sustainability, and the development of actionable points and timelines aimed at strengthening poliovirus detection and response across the Region.