WHO Pushes To Improve Maternal, Child Health, Eradicate Polio In EMRO Region

(MENAFN- Jordan News Agency)

Amman, July 17 (Petra) -- The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, in collaboration with the Regional Health Alliance, is working to accelerate efforts to improve maternal, newborn, and child health, support immunization programs, and strengthen polio eradication efforts in the region.
In a statement Thursday, the Regional Office said the meeting brings together representatives from nine UN agencies and six priority countries: Afghanistan, Djibouti, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
The goal is to enhance support for member states in implementing national strategies to reduce maternal, newborn, and child mortality, eradicate polio, and expand immunization coverage through the Expanded Program on Immunization.
The latest data shows that 60 countries globally are not on track to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets for reducing child mortality under age five, while 65 countries are off track for neonatal mortality goals.
In 2023, the six priority countries accounted for approximately 85% of under-five deaths in the Eastern Mediterranean Region 694,000 out of 812,000 deaths and reported some of the highest maternal mortality rates globally, ranging from 155 to 563 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Participants discussed renewing commitments and increasing investment in maternal and child health to help countries meet the SDG targets adopted by UN member states in 2015, including reducing maternal mortality to fewer than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births and ending preventable newborn and under-five child deaths by 2030.
The statement highlighted that organizations such as WHO, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) are closely collaborating with high-burden countries to implement evidence-based interventions through initiatives like Every Woman, Every Newborn, Everywhere (EWENE) and Child Survival Action initiatives.
The meeting also emphasized the urgent need to intensify efforts to eradicate polio and strengthen immunization campaigns against polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases.
Afghanistan and Pakistan both in the Eastern Mediterranean Region remain the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus transmission continues. These two countries, along with Somalia, Yemen, and Sudan, account for 90% of the region's 2.8 million zero-dose children who have not received even a single dose of routine vaccines.
This significant immunization gap not only threatens polio eradication but also increases the risk of outbreaks of other preventable diseases, including vaccine-derived poliovirus.
The statement stressed that polio eradication efforts are at a critical stage, with virus transmission declining in early 2025, presenting a vital 6–12 month window to halt transmission completely. It underscored the need to maintain high-quality immunization and surveillance, reach unvaccinated children, and enhance community engagement to ensure a polio-free region.

MENAFN17072025000117011021ID1109813336