Assembly/AU/Decl.2(XXV)
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implementation of all polio vaccination campaigns in 2015 to reach and
vaccinate every last child against polio;
2.
CONGRATULATE all the Member States of the African Union, the Heads of
State, the Ministers of Health, State and local Government leaders,
community leaders, traditional and religious leaders, all health workers, the
media, and civil society organizations for their consistent support for polio
eradication activities; recognizing their invaluable role in achieving this historic
success;
3.
RECOGNIZE:
i)
The critical need to sustain intensive efforts in polio eradication to
preserve our hard-won gains;
ii)
The importance of maintaining a strong disease surveillance system, to
be able to detect and respond to any polio outbreaks following poliovirus
importations, and to strengthen routine immunization coverage to protect
all children;
iii)
The much wider legacy of the polio infrastructure and resources, and the
critical role it can play in strengthening routine immunization, supporting
broader disease surveillance and emergency health response efforts;
the use of Polio infrastructure to tackle the Ebola virus in Nigeria is a
living example of this legacy.
4.
ACKNOWLEDGE the steadfast support and assistance of the Global Polio
Eradication Initiative (GPEI) partners, international development partners and
the civil society organizations for polio eradication in Africa, urging them to
continue with the same level of support until Africa is officially certified as
polio-free, and to help strengthen routine immunization efforts in the continent;
5.
ENCOURAGE:
i)
the national and sub-national leadership of all polio-affected countries to
provide direct and consistent oversight to their polio eradication efforts,
and ensure that every child is reached and vaccinated;
ii)
All the Member States of the African Union to allocate additional
domestic resources to strengthen routine immunization and disease
surveillance initiatives, and closely monitor the full implementation of the
2013-2018 Polio Endgame Strategic Plan.