Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the ability of Ethiopia to maintain its polio vaccine programme after the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in that country has ended.

Ethiopia was declared polio-free in 2014 and current estimates report that 76% of children in Ethiopia are receiving three doses of polio vaccine. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is supporting Ethiopia with technical assistance to strengthen surveillance systems and with supplementary immunisation campaigns to mitigate the risk of importation from neighbouring countries that are experiencing outbreaks.

It is a key priority for the UK that countries are supported to transition polio funded assets to the national government and partner organisations after GPEI sunsets upon global eradication. Part of the UK’s funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) is conditional on this being met.

Ethiopia has a costed polio transition plan in place and the UK will continue to monitor WHO’s support to Ethiopia for implementing this plan. The UK is also providing financial and technical support to strengthen Ethiopia’s health system to ensure the country remains polio free.