Good News On Polio

The Economist has an article noting that India has not had a case of polio for a year and appears well on the way to the three year period required to declare the disease eradicated. The disease is still being found in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria. Credit is given to Rotary International which has put $800 million into the polio eradication program over the last quarter century. Of course, many other people and organizations must have participated.

Thus polio seems on the brink of joining smallpox and guinea worm on the list of diseases that no longer threaten mankind. I certainly hope that the program will continue to wipe out the disease in the last three counties.

Recall that Nigerian in the north were refusing vaccination some years ago due to false stories about the risks involved, leading to an epidemic; infected people joined the Haj and spread the disease to pilgrims from several other countries, restarting the disease in their countries.

Governments in Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan are weak and apparently do not have full control of all of their countries. It is important that the World Health Organization and other organizations that will be seen as neutral and well meaning lead the efforts to complete eradication in these places.