KATHMANDU: Nepal has been ranked the top country in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) South-East Asia Region surveillance of suspected polio cases for the year 2025.

The surveillance, focused on children under the age of 15, was conducted in ten countries jointly by the WHO and the National Public Health Laboratory. Samples 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. A total of 579 suspected cases were identified nationwide, while laboratory testing of 40 cases is still pending.

WHO standards require the identification of at least two suspected cases per 100,000 population. Nepal significantly surpassed this benchmark during the surveillance period. Health authorities state that stronger surveillance increases the likelihood of preventing polio transmission.

Nepal was officially declared polio-free in 2014, with the last confirmed case reported in Rautahat in 2010. Dr Gautam said during the latest surveillance, 1.9 suspected cases per 100,000 population were recorded in Rolpa, while all other districts reported more than two cases.

In terms of polio surveillance performance, Nepal ranks ahead of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, South Korea, Maldives, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Timor-Leste that fall under the South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Following Nepal, Bhutan reported 5.32 suspected polio cases per 100,000 people, while India recorded 5.12 cases. Bangladesh identified 2.80 cases, 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 people. During the same year, children aged five to nine years received polio vaccinations.

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