The world is taking one more step closer to completely eradicating polio from the rest of the earth as Africa celebrates its first year of being polio free.
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is an infectious disease caused by a virus that can penetrate into the intestine where it proliferates before it damages the central nervous system. In its severe form, it can cause permanent paralysis of the lower limbs. Although there's no cure for the disease, it can be prevented through a vaccine.
The vaccine is recommended to be administered on children, who are the most susceptible to the disease. Since late 1980s, the number of cases has dropped to almost 100% except in 3 countries including Africa, particularly in Nigeria.
In 2014, a polio case was reported in Nigeria, then to Somalia as the virus traveled. Fortunately, the last known case, a boy, had been documented on August 11, 2014.
The success can be largely attributed to the concerted efforts of health workers, the government, and World Health Organization (WHO) through its Polio Global Eradication Initiative. Its main goal is eliminate polio in all countries by 2018.
The approaches have been vigorous. Mobilization centers were set up in many parts of Nigeria. Thousands of workers were placed in the front lines, and they were responsible not only for vaccinating children but also for looking unvaccinated ones. This meant going from one house to another, conducting interviews and health assessments, and closely monitoring potential and existing cases.
Nigeria and, to a large extent, Africa have a long way to go before WHO can consider it as officially polio free. The biggest challenge is having no case within the next 2 years.
In the meantime, now that Africa is without polio, only 2 countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan, have reported cases. At least 34 people have already been infected by the virus in less than 9 months.