M Tshabalala-Msimang: Inter Country Certification Committee (ICCC)
Meeting

3 December 2007

Programme director
World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef)
representatives
Polio free certification committee members,
Country representatives
Ladies and gentlemen

It is my pleasure to welcome you to this important meeting, the 10th
Inter-Country Certification Committee (ICCC) Meeting between Lesotho, Swaziland
and South Africa. I understand that this meeting is aimed at reviewing progress
on polio certification and laboratory containment at country level, regional
level and at global level. The primary goal of the Inter-Country Certification
Committee is to support countries in ensuring that Polio-Free certification is
achieved, ongoing efforts are directed at maintaining the certification
indicators and in compiling the country documentation required by the Africa
Region Certification Commission and the Global Certification Commission.

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to remind all of us that the Polio
Eradication Initiative has made unparalleled progress since the World Health
Assembly took the resolution to eradicate polio globally in 1988. The number of
wild poliovirus cases has dropped from over 350 000 in 1988 to 1 997 cases in
2006. As from 2006, only four countries globally are still endemic of wild
polio virus. In the same year, through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative
375 million children were vaccinated during 187 immunisation campaigns in 36
countries, with 2,1 billion doses of polio vaccine.

It is impressively evident that these efforts have born the desired fruits.
In 2007, to date (as on 21st of November), 735 cases of polio have been
reported globally, as compared to 1 686 cases in the corresponding period in
2006.
Today, I stand here very proud of the remarkable achievements on Polio
Eradication, not only at global level but of achievements by our countries. I
launched the ICCC in Limpopo province in April 2002. Less than five years since
that launch all the three countries have successfully presented to the African
Regional Certification Commission and have been declared free of wild
poliovirus transmission.

Ladies and gentlemen this is indeed a significant milestone and I
congratulate our three countries and the relevant certification committees on
this. This goes to show that with our united efforts we can achieve much more.
All our achievements are based on mutual collaboration, dedication and sheer
hard work by the officials at all levels as well as the various Ministerial
appointed polio committees, the World Health Organisation, Unicef, Rotary
International, and the thousand of volunteers and child care givers who have
actively participated in the campaigns.

Whilst this is a major achievement, it is not yet time to rest. The
eradication process still needs to be concluded successfully at global level.
Furthermore we still face challenges; the importation of wild poliovirus into
previously polio-free countries is a certain risk. The recent outbreak of wild
poliovirus in Namibia in 2006 should be a wake up call for all of us in this
initiative. May I remind all us that, as long as there is wild poliovirus
anywhere in the world, polio can easily be imported into any country and affect
a large number of people who are not immune, particularly children.

Importation is not the only challenge we face. We need to address and
increase routine coverage at lower levels particularly at district and
sub-district level. For most countries, aggregated routine coverage figures at
national level hide huge gaps of poor performance at district and sub-district
level. We need to address this as a matter of urgency if we are to fulfil the
responsibility as health professionals as health managers of protecting the
current and future generations from vaccine preventable diseases.

We have the skills. We have the knowledge and information. We have the
proven intervention strategies. We have the systems in place and we have you
here, dedicated individuals to help us deliver on this mandate.

Ladies and gentlemen, the polio eradication initiative has given us an
inheritance. The eradication initiative has set up an infrastructure; systems,
skills and much more, all which should be used to strengthen the health systems
and specifically Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI). We need to move
ahead swiftly with the implementation of the Reach Every District Strategy in
order to Reach Every Child. Let us further expand this strategy to ensure that
we reach every child with a comprehensive package to ensure optimal child
survival.

I strongly believe that if we can strengthen EPI and make sure that we add
on other Child Survival Strategies, we would have set the necessary platform
that will support us in our efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goal
4 of reducing child mortality. We can strengthen EPI to make it an engine for
achieving the MDG 4 and work on measles elimination. It is all up to us and I
want us to take up this challenge.

Back on the issue of polio eradication we have to finish this agenda. I
understand that some people including health professionals and scientists are
beginning to doubt that polio will be eradicated. These are people who may be
throwing confusion and demotivating everyone of us who have worked so hard on
this noble goal. The only question we should be addressing is; "when will
global eradication be achieved?" Even with this we should be putting our
efforts to supporting other countries and maintaining the required indicators.
Following on this the surveillance for Acute Flaccid Paralysis must continue
and be maintained at a highly sensitive level, the routine coverage should be
increased and maintained at more than 90% not only OPV3 but we need to move our
goal to 90% fully immunised at district level for at least 90% of the
districts.

We then have the laboratory containment exercise to conclude. South Africa
still has to complete this exercise and I urge those working on this to
finalise this chapter now. For all three countries we then have to keep close
watch on laboratories and their processes to ensure that there are no new
developments or new laboratories, which may change the current risk rating of
our laboratories. I have confidence in this ICCC in that this committee will
work tirelessly to ensure that status achieved is not lost, as it has happened
with other countries and that you will put up systems in place that will
prevent any further spread of wild poliovirus should importations occur. As I
clearly understand it; "We cannot prevent importations from occurring. But we
can promptly detect importations and prevent further spread of the virus from
importations occurring."

All three countries have been quite lucky thankfully, in that there have
been no imported cases of polio into our countries. Let us not leave this to
chance only, let us make sure that Wild Poliovirus Importation Preparedness
Plans are operational and proper systems are in place to deal with importations
if it occurred. I am proud of the achievements of the 3 countries and
specifically of this committee. I have already highlighted that although a lot
has been achieved a lot still needs to be done.

We still have to fully exploit the foundation laid by the polio eradication
initiative. We have to reach and protect every child and maximise the chances
of each child surviving. We owe it to the young generation. Let us invest in
the health of future generations and our efforts will be recognised for
thousand of years to come. I wish you success in your deliberations during this
meeting, and a safe return to your individual countries, with renewed energy,
enthusiasm and focus to leave the best legacy we can to our children.

I thank you.

Issued by: Department of Health
3 December 2007