Where do we stand in the fight against polio?

Feb 12th, 2010 1:15 PM UTC
By Rena Pacheco-Theard

Though polio cases have been reduced by over 99 percent since 1988, and it is “faded history now” in America, the disease continues to impact poor countries around the world.

Here is a look at some of the recent efforts to control and eliminate this devastating disease:

• As we noted earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new ‘bivalent’ oral polio vaccine (BOPV) to fight polio in Afghanistan. In a clinical trial, the BOPV was at least 30% more effective for types 1 and 3 polio, when compared with the traditional oral poliovirus vaccine. As an added benefit, the BOPV protects against both strains in a single drop. This new vaccine will be very helpful for controlling the disease in countries with weak health systems.
• The BOPV has also been launched in India.
• The government of Nigeria, the only remaining polio endemic country in Africa, has said that it is hoping to free the country from the virus this year. Minister of State for Health, Dr. Idi Hong, said that the nation will be using the new BOPV before the end of the year.

These developments are promising, but the last mile in eradication is a difficult one. We will continue to keep you posted on the status of polio eradication efforts.

You can learn more about polio by checking out our issue page here.

TAGS: Policy News, Polio