“Today we come together to rejoice over a historic success for public health, the certification of wild poliovirus eradication in the African region,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, during a live-streamed event.
“The end of wild polio in Africa is a great day,” said Tedros, who also chairs the polio watchdog. “Your success is the success of the world. None of us could have done this alone.”
Governments and non-profit organizations have been working since 1996 to try to eradicate the virus from the African continent with ongoing vaccination campaigns. Nearly 9 billion polio vaccines have been delivered, Tedros said.
US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Robert Redfield and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation co-chair Bill Gates congratulated Africa on the eradication of polio at the certification event for this milestone on Tuesday.
“Today is a historic day for global health, and it is a cause for celebration for everyone who works to improve the health of Africans,” Azar said in a pre-recorded message. “Congratulations to everyone who helped make it possible.”
Officials wanted to make sure polio was really gone and have waited four years since the last case of wild virus was diagnosed.
Rose Gana Fomban Leke, chair of the African Regional Certification Commission for polio eradication, told CNN that the decision to free the region from the virus came after many years of polio surveillance, immunization and laboratory analysis of the virus. 47 member states of the region on the continent. ,
“The work has gone on for years and now we can see the results. It is such an enormous milestone. I am confident to say that we have not seen any poliovirus in the region, for the last four years,” she said.
According to a WHO statement, “The last case of wild poliovirus in the region was discovered in Nigeria in 2016. Since 1996, polio eradication efforts have prevented up to 1.8 million children from crippling lifelong paralysis and saving some 180,000 lives.”
This does not mean that no child will develop polio symptoms. The attenuated virus used to make the oral vaccine can sometimes survive in populations that are underimmunized, and if it circulates long enough, it can return into a dangerous form. It is a circulating poliovirus derived from vaccine. WHO says 16 African countries are currently fighting outbreaks of this vaccine-derived strain.
“Hundreds of thousands of cases of wild poliovirus are prevented every year. A good 10 million cases have been prevented since large-scale administration of oral polio vaccine began 20 years ago.”
Therefore, children in developing countries receive two doses of vaccine – the oral vaccine, which is given as drops easily to administer, and a shot, which is made with a completely inactive polio virus that can not be reactivated. Children in developed countries only get the shot, but they need four doses to be fully protected.
“Circulating vaccines derived from vaccines have been stopped rapidly in the past with 2-3 rounds of high-quality immunization campaigns. The solution is the same for all polio outbreaks: immunize each child several times with the oral vaccine to stop polio transmission, independently of the origin of the virus, “said WHO.
The last region to eradicate wild polio was Southeast Asia. Polio has been eradicated in America, Europe, most of Australia and now in Africa. Wild strains of polio are now circulating in only two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“Wild cases of poliovirus have decreased by more than 99% since 1988, from an estimated 350,000 cases in more than 125 endemic countries to 175 reported cases in 2019,” the WHO said.
Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, called it a “historic milestone, and a triumph for public health for Africa.”
But he warned that it is now, more than ever, important to protect the progress made. Wild polio is still present in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and until it is gone everywhere it can still return, he said.
The CDCs Redfield also highlighted that there is still work to be done. He said every country should be vaccinated to maintain high levels of protection against vaccination.
“This moment is African to celebrate and enjoy, and I want you to know that CDC is with you today, until the day polio is finally eradicated,” Redfield said in a pre-recorded interview.
“You have shown how much can be achieved when determination, partnership and resources come together, as well as the circumstances,” he said.
.
