World Polio Day

October 24, 2018

Dear Colleagues,

On World Polio Day, 24 October, we find ourselves on the verge of one of the greatest public health accomplishments in human history; eradicating polio. In 1988, there were 350,000 annual cases of wild polio reported from 125 countries. In 2017, there were 22 cases of wild polio reported from two countries (Afghanistan and Pakistan). The road to eradication is neither smooth nor straight, and the last steps are some of the most difficult. To end polio for good, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) continues to develop innovative strategies to reach children everywhere, and to underscore the need for continued political and financial commitment. The importance of this year’s theme, Bold Steps to End Polio, spotlights the incredible milestones the program has taken to rid the world of polio forever.

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Eradicating a disease is not an easy task. There is continued
transmission of wild poliovirus in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Parts
of northern Nigeria are still inaccessible and thus, not receiving
vaccine. To reach every child living in conflict areas or areas of
instability, CDC and partners have taken bold steps, which have
led to significant achievements. To fight polio, innovative approaches
are used to reach nomadic communities in Chad from geographical
information systems (GIS) technology to vaccination teams in boats.
Innovations in disease surveillance using electronic surveillance
(e-Surve) technology allows for active and rapid surveillance and
monitoring of disease outbreaks. Programs now receive more
accurate, real-time information, making their work to defeat polio
more effective.

Communities, once free of polio for years, have experienced
circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) outbreaks this
past year. This occurs when vaccination rates for children are
low for a long period. While we work to eradicate wild poliovirus,
we are working diligently to address cVDPV outbreaks in
Papua New Guinea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger,
and the Horn of Africa (Somalia, and Kenya). We have the
knowledge and experience to stop these outbreaks, as we did
in Syria, and with the lessons learned throughout our fight to end
polio, we must take bold steps.
Polio Vaccines

This year marks the 30th year since the world embarked
on eradicating and containing all polioviruses, so no child
would ever again suffer from paralytic poliomyelitis. In 1988,
GPEI was formed with World Health Organization (WHO),
Rotary International, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
and later, with The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. GPEI
works alongside governments and stands by every health worker
to free the world from polio. GPEI has decreased polio to 99.9%
since 1988 and over 2.5 billion children have been vaccinated.

To achieve wild poliovirus eradication, we need further bold steps
in unwavering support from partners, countries, parents, and
communities. No child in any part of the world deserves to be
crippled because of the lack of two polio drops.

Let us change the narrative from, “we’re this close to ending polio”,
to “polio is gone, worldwide!”

Sincerely,

/Rebecca Martin/

Rebecca Martin, PhD
Director, Center for Global Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/global

/William W. Schluter/

William W. Schluter, MD, MPH
Director, Division of Global Immunization
Center for Global Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/immunization