8th November 2021
Since efforts to eradicate polio began in 1988, the world has made remarkable progress; reducing the number of cases by over 99%. With the WHO African region being certified free of wild poliovirus as of August 2020, wild polio now remains in two countries; Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, all health systems have felt the devastating impact of COVID-19 pandemic and there have been outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus across many regions. Now is not the time for complacency.
As the Global Polio Eradication Initiative plans to wind down its services, countries have been developing plans to ensure they can effectively achieve and sustain eradication. In this briefing, RESULTS UKÂ presents three country case studies from Angola, Chad and Pakistan, looking at the unique and collective challenges and opportunities faced by countries during this shift in funding. We advocate for coordination between key global stakeholders such as, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, Global Polio Eradication Initiative, and the World Bank among others. The case studies also positively explore solutions that are needed to ensure we protect the progress made so far and continue on a trajectory that makes poliovirus the second infectious disease in humans to be eradicated, after smallpox in 1980.
Click the attached file to view the briefing (a plain text version is also available).