Finally, WHO Declares Africa Polio-Free

After four years without recording a single case of polio, Nigeria and other countries within the African region have been certified free of wild poliovirus.

The World Health Organisation in a statement gave the declaration on Tuesday.

It described the feat as “one of the greatest achievements in public health history.”

According to the United Nations health agency this marks the eradication of the second virus from the face of the continent since smallpox 40 years ago.

The statement was titled, ‘Creating a great polio legacy in the African region.’

It said, “Delivering polio vaccines to every child in the African region and wiping out the wild virus is no small feat and the human resources, skills, and experience gained in the process leaves behind a legacy in how to tackle diseases and reach the poorest and most marginalized communities with life-saving services.

“Leadership from all levels of government across party lines, a historic public-private partnership that raised billions, millions of health workers reaching children across the region – from conflict zones to remote areas only accessible by motorbike or helicopter – and a culture of continual improvement were all critical to overcoming challenges and bottlenecks.

“As countries work to suppress COVID-19, many of the same basic traditional public health methods used in polio eradication, including contact tracing and surveillance, are key to breaking the chains of transmission and saving lives and livelihoods from the first coronavirus pandemic in human history.

“As recently as 2012 half of all globally recorded cases of wild poliovirus were in Nigeria, the final country in the region to rid the virus from its borders.

“However, as with the COVID-19 pandemic, the lesson is that it’s never too late to turn a disease outbreak around.”

The statement added that through hard work, new innovations and ensuring that no child was missed, Nigeria and the entire African region have now defeated polio.