Health officials in Nigeria are celebrating one year without a single case of polio. This is an impressive milestone. This indicates that the world is one step closer to making polio the second human infectious disease to be eradicated. Achieved with the use of an effective vaccination campaign.  The first disease to be eradicated was smallpox. Polio (poliomyelitis) is a paralyzing disease, which predominately affects children under five. 

What is polio?

Highly infectious disease, which invades the nervous system and can paralyze a victim in a matter of hours

Disease caused by a virus that spreads through unhygienic environments

• o    1 in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis
• o    5% - 10% of those who are paralyzed from it die
  • Only three countries where polio remains endemic
• o    Afghanistan
• o    Nigeria
• o    Pakistan

If no cases are reported in the next weeks and the WHO confirms previously affected areas are free of the virus. Nigeria expected to be removed from the list (countries with endemic polio). Nigeria will need to go another 2 years without a recorded case of the disease

Then the WHO can declare the country polio-free. This milestone did not seem possible. Polio reached a 3 year high in 2012 à 100+ cases. 2003, some northern states banned the vaccine because of rumors that the vaccine contained HIV.

Recent progress due to strong political commitment from the government. Increased domestic funding for polio almost every year since 2012. Formed a platform to make sure vaccination was accessible to all children.

Local leaders, supervisors and vaccinators identified tens of thousands of communities who had never existed on the map before and were able to vaccinate them.

Able to reach children who had not been provided with any significant health service before.

Vaccination levels need to be constantly monitored and kept to a high enough percentage to keep the virus at bay. Pakistan and Afghanistan can learn from initiatives health workers and community members undertook in Nigeria.

On track for the world to be polio free by 2018