It was only a few decades ago when the threat of polio had its grip on the world. Even after the creation of the vaccine, children were still being paralysed or killed by the disease. Then the entire world came together and committed to eradicating polio in even the most vulnerable areas.
I remember seeing celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai urging people to have their children vaccinated against polio on the TV and the radio in India. These and so many other efforts paid off. When you look at the data from the past few years, enormous strides have been made.
November 10th, 2015, marks a joyous day for people worldwide who have dedicated their lives to this cause. It marks three years since the last case of WPV 3 was detected. There are three known serotypes of the Wild Poliovirus (WPV), type 1, 2 and 3. WPV 2 was officially declared eradicated in 1999, and now for three years we have not seen a case of illness caused by WPV 3. This is a huge, albeit unofficial, milestone in this journey, as it is an encouraging sign that polio in fact can and will be eradicated and children everywhere will one day be free from the threat of this disease.
The last case of WPV 3 was reported in Yobe in northern Nigeria on 10 November 2012. An 11 month old boy was paralysed. The passing of three years without any new cases being reported not only means that the polio eradication strategies are working, but also that they are taking us closer to a polio-free world. All efforts, monetary as well as medical, can now be focused on ensuring the eradication of the type 1 serotype, the only remaining one that there is.
And as we come together to celebrate this milestone, we must acknowledge and congratulate the tireless efforts of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), which is a public-private partnership led by national governments and spearheaded by WHO, Rotary International, CDC, and UNICEF. GPEI worked with its numerous partner organizations, and the local healthcare workers worldwide to help eradicate two strains of polio. It required continuous work to detect and interrupt the poliovirus, strengthen immunization programs in rural regions, and monitor populations so that no case is left unnoticed.
But what does this mean for the future of polio eradication efforts? It means that as the world celebrates, everyone involved must keep in mind that much work still needs to be done.
As encouraging as the possibility of eradication is, it also means that sensitive monitoring efforts need to be increased. Especially in the case of WPV 3, which is not as virulent as WPV 1, causing cases at a rate of approximately 1 in 1,000 infections compared to the 1 in 200 infections caused by WPV 1. And yes, causing less cases is a good thing, but it also increases the risk of the virus silently transmitting for a longer time period without being detected. The strongest guarantee of containing the poliovirus is continued surveillance in all countries.
This is the moment when that extra push is needed so that the ultimate goal of seeing not one or two but ALL poliovirus strains eradicated. This is the moment to ensure the global unity of world leaders, influential individuals, and organizations so that the threat of polio is fully erased once and for all. This November, leaders of the Commonwealth, including UK PM David Cameron, Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull, and Canada’s PM elect Justin Trudeau will be convening for the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta, so this is the moment to urge them to renew their financial and political commitment to fighting polio, and show global support for the promise of ending polio by 2019.
You can join this powerful movement by going to TAKE ACTION NOW to call on world leaders to maintain their eradication efforts!