Joint national/international review of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance - Nepal : 25 March - 6 April and 6-12 August 2006

Abstract

The very basis of regional certification of polio-free status is high quality Acute Flaccid Paralysis (‎AFP)‎ surveillance. The Regional Office has been assisting Member countries to strengthen AFP and vaccine-preventable disease (‎VPD)‎ surveillance. As an integral component of this process, countries are encouraged to conduct periodic internal reviews of disease surveillance systems. This is complemented by periodic joint national/international reviews of AFP and VPD surveillance systems. Nepal shares its border with two polio-endemic countries, India and Pakistan. In 2005 and 2005, Nepal experienced importations of wild poliovirus from India. To verify that the surveillance system is functioning at a level which would enable quick detection and response to importations, a joint national/international surveillance review was conducted. Important lessons were also shared from Nepal's successful experience in preventing the re-establishment of polio after these importations. Other countries can learn from such experiences and successes. Nepal has also integrated other vaccine-preventable diseases into its surveillance system without apparent decline in the quality of AFP surveillance. This report describes the background, methodology, the Surveillance Medical Officer (‎SMO)‎ Network, the integration of VPDs into the AFP surveillance system, and the findings and recommendations from the Review.