WCO Nepal facilitated orientation of newly formed VPD expert committees
Dates: 03-04/11/2025
Venue: Nepal
Overview: WHO Nepal, with technical support from WHO South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO), successfully convened a two-day orientation for the newly formed National Vaccine-Preventable Disease (VPD) Expert Review Committees for poliomyelitis and measles–rubella (MR).
The technical orientation, first of its kind in the region, helped harmonize understanding of committee roles and strengthen coordination for advancing Nepal’s VPD elimination goals. Established by the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) in May 2025, the four committees—the National Certification Committee for Poliomyelitis Eradication (NCCPE), Polio Expert Review Committee (Polio-ERC), National Verification Committee for Measles–Rubella Elimination (NVCMRE), and the Expert Review Committee for Measles–Rubella–Congenital Rubella Syndrome (ERC- MRCRS)— comprised of 26 experts from pediatrics, public health, epidemiology, laboratory sciences and clinical medicine.
The committees will guide the National Immunization Programme (NIP) by reviewing programme performance, classifying acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) and suspected MR cases, monitoring progress on the Polio Transition Plan, and reviewing annual country reports to be submitted to the WHO regional verification bodies. Participants highlighted that the orientation is a key step towards strengthening Nepal’s technical and institutional capacity for VPD elimination. Nepal has achieved important milestones—polio-free in 2014 and rubella-free in 2025—and is aiming to eliminate measles by 2026.
The expert committees will provide evidence-based guidance to sustain and advance these achievements. Dr Balwinder Singh, Team Lead for the Programme on Immunization Preventable Diseases, WHO Nepal, congratulated participants on Nepal’s rubella elimination and requested continued collaboration to achieve measles elimination and other priority VPD goals. The programme concluded with a commitment from MoHP officials, WHO and national experts to accelerate progress toward a future free from vaccine-preventable diseases.
Outcomes: Nepal will enhance VPD surveillance and accelerate progress towards measles elimination, sustain polio-free status and maintain surveillance standards of other priority vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs).
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Author:Pasang Rai, National Professional Officer, Surveillance Cluster Lead
Photo: Experts from the newly formed National Certification Committee for Poliomyelitis Eradication (NCCPE) and Polio Expert Review Committee- (Polio-ERC). Credits: WHO Nepal