astein1_ Nicholas KajobaXinhua via Getty Images_polio Nicholas Kajoba/Xinhua via Getty Images

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.

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