The World Health Organization reports that the African continent is finally free of the wild polio virus, 24 years after Nelson Mandela Rotary International helped launch its Kick Polio Out of Africa campaign.
“Today is a historic day for Africa, which has successfully met the certification criteria for wild polio eradication, with no cases reported in the region for four years,” said Professor Rose Gana Fomban Leke, who heads is from the African Regional Certification Commission for polio eradication. (ARCC).
The success comes after an extensive, decades-long process of documenting and analyzing polio surveillance and immunization of the 47 member states of the region, including conducting field verification visits to each country.
In 1996, African leaders from each country committed themselves to eradicating polio, at a time when the virus is estimated to paralyze 75,000 children annually. While there is no cure for polio, the disease can be prevented by administering a simple and effective vaccine.
Mandela’s call that year mobilized African peoples across the continent to increase their efforts to reach every child with the polio vaccine – and the latest case of wild poliovirus was discovered and defeated in 2016 in Nigeria.
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WHO officials say that efforts to eradicate polio up to 1.8 million children have prevented lifelong paralysis and have saved some 180,000 lives.
“This is an important milestone for Africa. Now future generations of African children can live free from wild polio, “said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.” This historic achievement was made possible only by the leadership and commitment of governments, communities, partners in the global polio eradication and philanthropists. special tribute to the frontline health workers and vaccinators, some of whom have lost their lives, for this noble cause. ‘
The announcement Tuesday marks only the second eradication of a virus from the face of Africa since smallpox 40 years ago.
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While eradication of wild poliovirus is a major achievement here, 16 African countries have reported cases of cVDPV2. Although rare, these cases of polioviruses can occur as the attenuated live virus used in the oral polio vaccine spreads among underimmunized populations and changes over time to a form that can cause paralysis. If a population is adequately immunized with polio vaccines, it will be protected against both wild polio and circulating polioviruses that have been vaccinated.
“Africa has shown that despite weak health systems, important logistical and operational challenges across the continent, African countries have worked very effectively in eradicating wild poliovirus,” said Dr Pascal Mkanda, coordinator of WHO Polio eradication in the African region.
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“With the innovations and expertise that the polio program has established, I am confident that we can sustain the gains, post-certification, and cVDPV2,” Dr Mkanda added.
Thanks to the dedication of governments, the WHO, Rotary International, UNICEF, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, polio cases have been reduced by 99.9% worldwide since 1988. Only Afghanistan and Pakistan still have cases of the wild virus.
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“The expertise gained from polio eradication will continue the African region in tackling COVID-19 and other health problems that have plagued the continent for so many years. This will be the true legacy of polio eradication in Africa,” said Dr Moeti .
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