Meeting of the Global Polio Laboratory Network (GPLN) in the WHO European Region (2015)

Representatives from 45 of the 48 laboratories of the Global Polio Laboratory Network (GPLN) located in the WHO European Region (the European Regional Polio Laboratory Network) met with representatives from WHO headquarters and international partner agencies in Antwerp, Belgium from 3 to 4 September 2015. The main objectives of the meeting were to review and discuss the laboratory containment requirements described in the WHO global action plan to minimize poliovirus facility-associated risk after type-specific eradication of wild polioviruses and sequential cessation of OPV use (GAPIII), and to outline and discuss regional implementation of the revised algorithm for poliovirus (PV) testing.