Namibia is prepared and has a response plan in place in the event of a possible polio outbreak.

This comes after stakeholders participated in a three-day Polio Simulation Exercise in Windhoek.

Namibia had its first Polio Simulation Exercise in 2018.

The country managed to score only slightly over 47% in terms of preparedness as well as on its response plan.

The WHO Polio Eradication Officer, Tenywa Emmanuel, said the results of the recent exercise proved to be much better.

"The team has scored 83%, and this is a much better improvement compared to the last scores conducted in 2018, where the country scored 47.5%."

The Executive Director of the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Ben Nangombe, says eradicating polio is not just a responsibility of the Ministry but of the entire Namibian society.

"The response will require the involvement of other offices, ministries, and agencies. When we talk about all societies, we are saying stakeholders, NGOs, and community-based organizations also have a role to play when we have to deal with an outbreak of polio in our jurisdiction."

The global average for a response plan and preparedness in the event of a polio outbreak stands at 80%