Incredible progress is being made with the near eradication of polio. For 30 years, global health funders—predominantly Rotary International, have been on a mission to eliminate the deadly disease. In many parts of the world, polio is not a disease that is now a concern, but the drop in cases is noteworthy. In 1988, there were 350,000 cases, and last year just 22. The near elimination of this disease should be something lauded as a great success!
This accomplishment is a result of an effort costing billions of dollars, countless volunteer hours, and giving more than 2.5 billion children the vaccine in 122 countries.
Since the GPEI (Global Polio Eradication Initiative) was initiated in 1979, incidence of polio have dropped dramatically– by more than 99.9%.
It is not easy to reach everyone who may be affected. There are a few isolated polio cases where people live in regions that are hard to assist because of circumstances like poor infrastructure, armed conflict, and cultural barriers. But even one case means that it can spread to others, so these organizations find ways to reach these areas.
The reported cases of polio have to be monitored for three years to ensure that it’s the final one. This takes more money and volunteers, but it’s getting closer and closer to being able to make the claim that polio has been eliminated by vaccines. When this happens, it will be the second vaccine-eradicated disease in history– the first was smallpox.
There is a plan, and it’s being implemented. Thankfully, the Gates Foundation has pledged to match every dollar pledged by Rotary with two more, up to $35 million per year. Along with the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, and various world governments, this disease may soon be a thing of the past.