A major anniversary passed without much fanfare Friday. As of January 13, India has gone 12 months without a single reported case of polio. It’s an impressive accomplishment considering just two years ago it reported the highest number of cases in the world.
With this news, the WHO now considers polio no longer endemic in the country and if India goes another two years without any reported cases, the disease will be considered eradicated there.
It means we’re nearing the end of a long program to exterminate the disease worldwide, one that started in 1988. Back then, polio cases were still being report in most of the nations of the world including all of Africa and Asia, much of South and Central America, Spain, Finland and France.
As of Friday, polio continues to ravage only three nations: Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan. So, from most of the world to three countries in 24 years. Pretty spectacular bit of public health work that.
Gee. I wonder made a feat like that possible? (Hint: The answer is in the video embedded below!)
