Nepal tops WHO South-East Asia polio surveillance rankings for 2025

KATHMANDU: Nepal has ranked first in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) South-East Asia Region for surveillance of suspected polio cases in 2025, according to health authorities.

The surveillance, conducted jointly by the WHO and the National Public Health Laboratory, focused on children under the age of 15 across 10 countries in the region. Samples collected from suspected cases were tested in Thailand, and no positive polio cases were confirmed.

According to Dr Abhiyan Gautam, Chief of the Child Health and Vaccination Section under the Family Welfare Division, Nepal detected 7.1 suspected polio cases per 100,000 population, the highest rate in the region. A total of 579 suspected cases were identified nationwide, while laboratory testing of 40 samples is still pending.

WHO standards require countries to detect at least two suspected cases per 100,000 population to ensure effective surveillance. Nepal significantly exceeded this benchmark, which health officials say strengthens early detection and prevention of potential polio transmission.

Nepal was officially declared polio-free in 2014, with the last confirmed case reported in Rautahat in 2010. Dr Gautam said that during the latest surveillance period, Rolpa district recorded 1.9 suspected cases per 100,000 population, while all other districts reported figures above the WHO threshold.

In regional rankings, Nepal outperformed India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, South Korea, Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Timor-Leste, all of which fall under the WHO South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO). Bhutan ranked second with 5.32 cases per 100,000, followed by India with 5.12 cases. Bangladesh reported 2.80, South Korea 2.38, and Myanmar 2.51 cases per 100,000 population.

In 2024, Nepal had detected 4.5 suspected cases per 100,000 population. During the same year, children aged five to nine years were administered polio vaccines.

Under Nepal’s routine immunization programme, infants receive oral polio vaccines at six, 10, and 14 weeks of age, along with injectable polio vaccines at 14 weeks and nine months.