What if We Don't Eradicate Polio

The march toward the eradication of Polio throughout the world has made incredible progress over the years and we have recently celebrated the news of a full year with no new cases in Nigeria, one of the three remaining countries considered polio-endemic. The goal of polio eradication remains a challenge but only two countries are currently identified as polio-endemic. In recent years, some in the scientific community have raised a difficult question: Can the world eradicate polio, or should we try to contain it?

According to an article by Harvard researchers, controlling the disease would be far more costly than eradicating it. They state that a decision to switch to a control strategy would condemn 10 million children to polio over the next 40 years alone. We must not lose sight of our vision of a world without polio. Just this week, the media has reported on the return of two cases of polio in Ukraine, the first reported cases in Europe after a five year reprieve. Ukraine has been identified as an area that is under-immunized, with only 50% of children fully immunized against polio. We must finish our work and hold true to our promise to the children of the world.