Polio, a illness focused for eradication, has been a persistent focus for South Africa. In 2006, South Africa proudly obtained its polio-free certification, a major milestone. Nevertheless, in 2017, this standing was rescinded, solely to be regained in 2019. Your entire African continent achieved Polio Free Certification in 2020. Nonetheless, the unexpected challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic compromised vaccination efforts, resulting in a resurgence of vaccine-preventable ailments (VPDs), together with polio, in Southern Africa.

South Africa acknowledged the urgency of the state of affairs and took proactive steps to fortify its defenses in opposition to polio. The nation developed and up to date its Nationwide Polio Outbreak Preparedness and Response Plan in alignment with international Customary Working Procedures (SOPs). This plan was meticulously designed to make sure a fast and sturdy response to any potential introduction of the polio virus into the nation. Nevertheless, it had remained untested till not too long ago.

The Polio Outbreak Simulation Train (POSE) was a pivotal endeavor geared toward evaluating the effectiveness and robustness of South Africa’s response plan for polio outbreaks. This train, which carefully replicated real-life situations of responding to a polio outbreak, occurred from September 4th to eighth, 2023, at The Capital in Sandton, Johannesburg. POSE concerned a complete simulation bundle and was facilitated with the precious technical help of the World Well being Group (WHO) Regional and Nation Workplace in South Africa. The occasion introduced collectively a various array of stakeholders, together with the National Department of Health (NDOH), the Gauteng Provincial and District Departments of Health, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), and collaborative companions, notably, UNICEF, and Jhpiego, along with the National Certification Committe (NCC) Chairperson, Dr Juliet Nyasulu.

The success of POSE required intense preparations earlier than and after the two-day simulation. Facilitators launched seven progressive situations, condensed into 5 and a half hours, that replicated potential real-world challenges. In South Africa, this train prolonged to eight hours. All stakeholders, based on the nationwide preparedness plan, assumed their anticipated roles and duties in the course of the simulation.

This rigorous train unveiled essential gaps within the nation’s preparedness and response plan, a revelation emphasised by the NCC Chairperson in her closing remarks. She advocated for comparable workout routines to be carried out in different provinces. One colleague aptly famous, “It is simple to imagine we’ve a strong plan till it is uncovered to testing. Nobody might have imagined that our plan had gaps and required alignment with international SOPs.”

The general skill of the nation to reply to an outbreak was assessed at 56.25%, prompting the next suggestions:

1. Evaluation the nationwide preparedness and response plan to align it with the International Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) SOPs Model 4 and handle recognized bottlenecks.
2. Implement complete coaching on GPEI SOPs Model 4 in any respect ranges.
3. Strengthen Environmental Surveillance:
   • Improve the gathering of Environmental Surveillance (ES) samples from all present websites.
   • Start fast supervision of ES according to SOPs, together with the usage of ODK.
4. Develop and execute a six-month surveillance enhancement plan to deal with gaps at sub-national ranges.

Following the POSE, the South African group unanimously agreed to expeditiously evaluation the nation’s plan to include all recognized gaps uncovered in the course of the train. This dedication is very essential as neighboring nations grapple with polio outbreaks, reaffirming South Africa’s dedication to defending its inhabitants and contributing to the broader international effort to eradicate polio as soon as and for all.