Chairperson, the ANC welcomes the declaration by the Global Certification Commission subcommittee in Africa, the African Regional Certification Commission, that there is enough evidence showing the nonexistence of the wild polio virus in South Africa. This certification has been the result of a sustained campaign of vaccination of children over the years.
The African Regional Certification Commission has expressed satisfaction with the measures South Africa has in place against polio, including the political commitment to eradicate this childhood disease.
Building on this success, the ANC will continue to work with our people to ensure a better life for all. We, therefore, wish to congratulate the Department of Health and its partners in the social cluster, and organs of civil society, on their remarkable and far-reaching success in reducing the burden of the disease and poverty in South Africa, the SADC region, as well as the African continent. I thank you.