Africa has been certified as wild polio-free after four years without a case. According to the WHO, this historic milestone means that five of the six WHO regions, representing over 90% of the world’s population are now free of the wild poliovirus. This is moving the world closer to achieving global polio eradication.
“Today, the Africa Regional Certification Commission certified the WHO African Region as wild polio-free after four years without a case. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) congratulates the national governments of the 47 countries in the WHO African Region for today’s achievement”.
According to the WHO, only two countries; Pakistan and Afghanistan worldwide continue to see wild poliovirus transmission.
“Ending wild polio virus in Africa is one of the greatest public health achievements of our time and provides powerful inspiration for all of us to finish the job of eradicating polio globally-WHO.
“I thank and congratulate the governments, health workers, community volunteers, traditional and religious leaders and parents across the region who have worked together to kick wild polio out of Africa”, said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
The WHO attributed the eradication of the wild polio from the African continent to strong leadership and innovation. According to the WHO, countries successfully coordinated their efforts to overcome major challenges to immunizing children, such as high levels of population movement, conflict and insecurity restricting access to health services, and the virus’s ability to spread quickly and travel across borders.
In addition to this, credit was also given to the continued generosity and shared commitment of donors including governments, the private sector, multilateral institutions and philanthropic organizations.
“During a challenging year for global health, the certification of the African region as wild poliovirus-free is a sign of hope and progress that shows what can be accomplished through collaboration and perseverance,” said Rotary International President Holger Knaack.
