WHO/Europe Virtual Press Briefing - Statement from Jennifer Jones, President of Rotary International

The urgent need for immunization: Polio, COVID-19, Influenza
On World Polio Day, the WHO Regional Office for Europe will hold an online briefing to underscore the importance of immunization on three urgent fronts:

1. As we mark 20 years of a polio-free European Region, there are alarming signs that the gains made towards polio eradication are fragile – with a number of incidents pointing to clear gaps in childhood polio immunization that could reverse the successes of recent decades and mark the return of this crippling disease.
2. With the advent of autumn and colder weather in the northern hemisphere, COVID-19 case numbers are rising sharply in many countries across Europe and Central Asia. With millions of people still unvaccinated in the Region, and winter looming on the horizon, we are bracing for possibly significant morbidity and mortality.
3. At the same time, we are anticipating a severe and protracted influenza season, adding to the burden of respiratory diseases and challenging already overwhelmed health systems and health providers.

WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge and Rotary International President Ms Jennifer Jones will be joined by Senior Emergency Officer, Dr Catherine Smallwood and Regional Advisor for Vaccine-preventable Diseases and Immunization, Dr Siddhartha Datta to outline possible scenarios and what countries and individuals alike should be doing in response.