Polio eradication

Polio eradication is the permanent elimination of the global spread of the poliovirus and the poliomyelitis (polio) it causes. Polio eradication began as a public health effort which began in 1988, led by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Rotary Foundation.^[1] These organizations, along with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The Gates Foundation, have created the campaign through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). Vaccinations have been seen as a key reason why polio ended.

Nigeria is the latest country to have officially stopped endemic transmission of wild poliovirus. Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only two countries where the disease is still classified as endemic.^[2][3]