Author: Linda G. Elsner, Writer-Editor, Global Immunization Division, Center for Global Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Polio is a deadly and crippling disease that afflicts mainly children. You probably never thought much about it—in most industrialized countries, polio was wiped out many years ago, maybe even before you were born. The last naturally occurring case of polio in the United States was reported in 1979 and in Great Britain in 1984. The entire region of the Americas was declared polio free in 1994 and the European region in 2002.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is a public–private partnership led by national governments. Its major partners include CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Rotary International, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Established in 1988, it is currently making a final push to wipe out this disease everywhere in the world. Today, we are so very close. Eighty percent of the world’s population now lives in countries that have been certified polio-free. The only 3 countries in the world where the poliovirus has never been stopped are Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan, although sometimes travel between countries results in poliovirus exportations to other places. (Stopping wild poliovirus transmission within a country or region means that it is no longer endemic [naturally occurring], so there is no longer year-round transmission.)

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if YOUR generation could be the one to finally put an end to polio, everywhere, forever?

The global effort to eradicate polio is the largest public health initiative in history, so you may feel overwhelmed when you think about how you can play a role. You are only one person among more than 7 billion in the world. Still, all of us working together can have a major impact, and no contribution is too small.

Please check out theGlobal Polio Eradication Initiative website or visitRotary International to discover ways you really can help.

And if you are a health professional, you may consider volunteering with the Stop Transmission of Polio (STOP) Program. STOP is a global effort that trains skilled public health workers from around the world and sends them on short-term assignments to the places with the greatest need. Yinka Kerr, STOP Team Lead in CDC’s Global Immunization Division, said this about the STOP Program:  “The passion the STOP staff and CDC colleagues instill in people during the training is amazing.  Our teams are deployed with expertise in their minds and passion in their hearts. Being a part of it is truly an honor.” Please visit the CDC website for more information.

Remember, the need is great, and the time is now!