The global marathon to eradicate polio is on its final lap. After millennia of living with poliovirus and the suffering the paralysis causes, today, nearly everyone lives in a polio-free country.
Since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, the number of people afflicted with polio has declined by 99.9%. The finishing line is in sight. But there are significant, new hurdles we now face.
To succeed in eradicating polio, we must act now.
The coming five years are crucial – they may provide the last opportunity to eradicate the disease. Cases of polio have been recently reemerging worldwide, including in Malawi.
There are a number of factors behind those outbreaks, including conflict and displacement, and the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.
It’s clear that to succeed in eradicating polio, we must act now. That’s exactly what UNICEF is doing.