It’s incredible to think that as early as 2012, Nigeria was responsible for more than half of the polio cases reported in the world. Fast forward three years and the country is celebrating 15 months without a new case of polio reported; an incredible achievement that means Nigeria is no longer listed as a polio-endemic country. 

So how was Nigeria able to achieve impressive progress in such a short space of time? Well, a concerted effort by the Nigerian Government, particularly in the form of political leadership and funding, had a large role to play. But in order to tackle the root cause of the problem, 200,000 volunteers and health-workers worked tirelessly to deliver life-saving vaccines to 45 million children - a heroic effort that helped Africa on its way to lasting more than a year (and counting) without a new case of polio.

Last month I was lucky enough to meet one of these health-workers. For the last 10 years, Faleke Bolanle has worked as a "health educator" in Lagos. On a daily basis, it is her job to “educate mothers and caregivers about the importance of good health for their children.” An incredibly warm and friendly woman, I was amazed at how passionate she was in ensuring that every child had access to lifesaving vaccinations. And if that wasn't enough, she has a pretty badass job title as well.

“I’m a rumour hunter.”

You’re a what, sorry? “I’m a rumour-hunter. Rumours in polio immunisation efforts can be a big problem, so it’s our job to hunt out the rumour at the source and tackle it.” Misinformation can be a huge challenge when trying to reach every child with polio-fighting vaccinations, so it’s up to Faleke and her team of "polio-champions" to hunt down the origin of the rumour. “Once we’ve found the source of the rumour, we set up a village meeting where we talk through the rumours and try to educate people as much as possible about the benefit of vaccines.”

But tackling rumours and misinformation isn’t the only challenge that Faleke and her team face. Often, the children that need vaccinations the most live in the hardest to reach places. “Once a week the polio champions go out to the hard to reach areas to ensure that these children get the vaccines needed. We don’t want distance - or the fact that mothers may not have the money to travel - to be barriers against immunisation.” But it’s easier said than done - Faleke and her team have to travel by foot, motorbike and even canoe to reach every last child.

Meeting Faleke was a humbling yet thought-provoking experience and to hear about her experience and day-to-day life in Lagos was nothing short of inspirational. I asked Faleke what motivates her to do what she does. “Polio is a devastating disease; it pains my heart to see children - our future leaders - crippled with their hopes dashed.” It was hard to keep the tears back.

Make no mistake about it, Faleke is a hero. And she’s not alone; tens of thousands of volunteers go out every year to some of the world's most remote places, battling some of the most dangerous terrain a person could face. Because of heroes like Faleke, we’re now closer than ever to eradicating polio, and with continued support from countries like the US, Canada and the UK, it is only a matter of time before we rid the world of this horrific, devastating disease.