Breaking Free from Polio
Even though the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Somalia, and Yemen had previously eradicated wild polio, they have, in recent years, experienced outbreaks caused by a version of the virus derived from vaccines. But after beating polio once, they can do it again.
SEATTLE – Eradicating polio has taken far longer than anyone expected. But the last 35 years of efforts to immunize every child against polio represent a major win for global health: a 99% reduction in cases means that nearly 20 million people are walking today who otherwise would have been paralyzed.