National Polio Surveillance Network (NPSN)
Context: The Indian government has proposed to wind down, in phases, the World Health Organization (WHO)-established National Polio Surveillance Network (NPSN), currently a countrywide network of over 200 units.
Important Pointers:
Establishment: The National Polio Surveillance Network (NPSN) was established in 1997 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO).
Purpose: NPSN supports India’s Polio Eradication Programme by monitoring and eliminating poliovirus transmission through Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) surveillance.
Key Function: It tracks and investigates all AFP cases in children under 15 years of age to detect any potential presence of the wild poliovirus (WPV) or vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV).
Structure: NPSN operates through a network of Surveillance Medical Officers (SMOs), field offices, and a chain of WHO-accredited laboratories across India.
Global Collaboration: It functions under the guidance of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), a global effort led by WHO, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Rotary International, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Impact: NPSN played a critical role in India being declared polio-free by the WHO on March 27, 2014.
Post-Eradication Role: After polio elimination, NPSN continues to support surveillance for other vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs) such as measles and rubella.