China: two years on

Revisiting the country’s model outbreak response on the second anniversary of their last case of polio

It was in July 2011 that the first case of wild poliovirus in 12 years was detected in China. By October – just three months later – the country had a put a stop to the virus. How did they do that? With a massive outbreak response.

In particular, the rapidity of China’s response was critical to their success against the disease. China promptly mobilized significant human and financial resources and welcomed support from technical agencies in the management of the outbreak. Now, with two years passed since their most recent case, China, and the entire WHO Western Pacific Region, remains polio-free.

The country continues to be on the lookout for polio cases – like any country, it remains at risk of re-importation as long as polio exists anywhere in the world. In March and May this year, mass polio vaccination rounds were held in Xinjiang province (the former epicentre of the outbreak), targeting an average of 1.7 million children under four years of age.

Related


Related News

   21/09/2023
A success story for public health despite extreme challenges of war
   04/09/2023
Newly-appointed Pakistan leaders committed to delivering polio-free country
   07/08/2023
Since the Republic of Congo first confirmed a case of cVDPV1 in March 2023 (the first such detection in more than two decades), the country has been pioneering the deployment of Geospatial Tracking Systems (GTS) to help curb further transmission.
   25/07/2023
At the earliest signs of the ongoing conflict in Sudan, in the middle of April, WHO’s country team sprang into action. After all, conflict and infectious diseases are known to be comrades.
   21/07/2023
Says commitment to polio eradication remains commendable, interruption of wild poliovirus is possible in six months with support from communities, government, administrative and security leadership