Polio Update

We recently learned that the wild poliovirus case count for 2019 has reached 37 cases in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the remaining two countries that still report cases caused by the wild virus. This means that the case count for this year is now higher than the total number of cases in 2018. It’s important that we have perspective and remember how far we’ve come since we started PolioPlus in 1985, when there were hundreds of thousands of cases of polio each year. We’ve had less than 100 cases per year in the last four years and the final cases are in a small number of geographic areas.

While we’ve experienced challenges in Pakistan and Afghanistan, we’re seeing progress in other important areas. Nigeria has not reported a wild poliovirus in over three years, and the Africa region could soon announce the certification of the eradication of the wild poliovirus. Out of three types of poliovirus, only type 1 continues to affect children. Type 2 is certified eradicated, and there hasn’t been a type 3 virus identified since 2012. We are using innovative techniques to reach more children than ever before in some of the hardest-to-reach areas of the world, and our surveillance systems are continually becoming more sophisticated.

Until we see the last poliovirus, it’s vital that we continue immunizing every single child, and we can only do that with the support of every one of our 1.2 million members. We can’t get frustrated or slow our efforts. Instead, we need to double down on the promise we made over thirty years ago: to ensure that no child ever has to suffer the paralyzing effects of polio. It is crucial that we remain optimistic about the future and continue raising the funds and awareness necessary to support an end to this disease. All donations to End Polio Now are matched 2:1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.