A polio-free world requires updated vaccination policies, including the phased withdrawal of oral polio vaccines (OPV), appropriate containment of the poliovirus in facilities, certification that polio has been eradicated, and planning for the transition of knowledge and infrastructure to serve other health goals.
The Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategy Plan 2019-2023 and polio legacy transition planning in the National Emergency Action Plan 2018/19 for Polio Eradication in Pakistan are long-term comprehensive strategies which aim at not only complete eradication but also that the long-term investments in polio eradication will contribute to other health goals once polio is eradicated from Pakistan.
The plan has three goals:
- Eradication
- Integration
- Certification and Containment
National governments and GPEI partners must plan for some essential functions and activities to be incorporated into existing public health programmes in order to keep the world polio-free. As a result, in consultation with key stakeholders, GPEI is developing a polio Post-Certification Strategy to define, at a global level, the technical standards that will be needed in order to maintain a polio-free world.