The Global Polio Eradication Initiative
May 22, 2012
"The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is a public-private partnership led by national governments and spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Its goal is to eradicate polio worldwide.
"Polio remains endemic in 3 countries – Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan – and has re-established transmission in 3 countries which were previously polio-free (Angola, Chad and Democratic Republic of the Congo).
Several more countries had ongoing outbreaks in 2011 due to importations of poliovirus.
"Nigeria is one of the most entrenched reservoirs of wild poliovirus in the world. It is the only country with ongoing transmission of all 3 serotypes:
-wild poliovirus type 1
-wild poliovirus type 3
-circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2.
"States in the north of the country are the main source of polio infections elsewhere in Nigeria and in neighbouring countries. In 2009, operational improvements in these northern states led to a 90% decline in cases of wild poliovirus type 1 and a 50% decline in overall cases compared with 2008."
For story from Nigerian media about parents refusing to have their toddlers vaccinated, click here.
For story about progress in health care in Namibia, click here.
| Progress toward interruption of wild poliovirus transmission - worldwide, Jan 2011-Mar 2012
by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2012 May 18;61:353-7.
In Jan 2012, completion of polio eradication was declared a programmatic emergency for global public health by the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO). Despite major progress since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988, circulation of indigenous wild poliovirus (WPV) continues in three countries (Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan). India has not reported a polio case since Jan 2011, and is considered polio-free since February 2012. This report highlights progress toward global polio eradication during Jan 2011-Mar 2012. The number of polio cases reported globally decreased by 52%, from 1,352 in 2010 to 650 in 2011. Those 650 cases included 341 (53%) reported from the four polio-endemic countries (Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan), 230 (35%) from previously polio-free countries in which WPV importations led to reestablished transmission for ≥12 months (Angola, Chad, and Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC]), and 79 (12%) from 9 countries affected by outbreaks. Compared with 2010, WPV cases increased in 2011 in Afghanistan (69%), Nigeria (66%), and Pakistan (27%), but decreased in India (98%). During Jan-Mar 2012, 59% fewer cases were reported worldwide (as of May 15) compared with the same period in 2011, and all cases in 2012 have been reported from Afghanistan, Chad, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Although progress toward polio eradication was substantial in 2011, persistent WPV circulation in 2012, particularly in Nigeria and Pakistan, poses an ongoing threat to eradication efforts, underscoring the need for emergency measures by polio-affected countries and those at risk for outbreaks after importation.To read entire article, click here
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