26 November 2023, Baghdad, Iraq – WHO in Iraq, in close collaboration with Iraq’s Ministry of Health (MOH) and Ministry of Environment (MOE), has concluded a successful 4-day training programme on the environmental surveillance network for poliovirus monitoring and detection. This initiative plays a crucial role in the ongoing commitment to maintain a polio-free Iraq.

The training programme centred on environmental sampling, involving the monthly collection of wastewater samples from designated sites in high-risk areas. These samples will be routinely sent to the Central Public Health Laboratory (CPHL) to be tested for poliovirus, with the aim of complementing and enhancing the country’s acute flaccid paralysis surveillance system.