Africa’s eradication of polio a huge triumph

The declaration of Africa as wild polio-free by the independent Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC) for Polio Eradication sends out a clear message that hard work and perseverance could help accomplish great objectives.

The ARCC has also officially declared that the 47 countries in the UN World Health Organisation (WHO) African Region are free of the virus, with no cases reported for four years, and that is indeed pleasant news at a time when the coronavirus has spread so much negativity around the world. 

Polio is a viral disease that can cause paralysis, and mainly affects children under five.

The virus is transmitted from person to person, mostly through contact with infected faeces, or less frequently through contaminated water or food. It enters the body through the mouth and multiplies inside the intestines.

While there is no cure for polio, the disease can be prevented through a simple and effective oral vaccine, thus protecting a child for life.

The path has been arduous. 

The ARCC certification entailed a decades-long process of documentation and analysis of polio surveillance, immunisation and laboratory capacity, as well as field verification visits to each country in the region.

No talk about polio can be complete without a mention about the prodigious role the UAE plays in helping eradicate the disease.

As part of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces’ global initiative to eradicate polio, the UAE Pakistan Assistance Programme this month announced that the Emirates Polio Campaign successfully vaccinated 722,500 children in Pakistan between 20-26 July, 2020.

Abdullah Khalifa Al-Ghafli, Director of the UAE Pakistan Assistance Programme, has highlighted that the initiative reflects the UAE leadership’s commitment to strengthen global cooperation to prevent the spread of epidemics, as well as to protect children and support global polio eradication efforts.

The Emirates Polio Campaign was successful in vaccinating 722,500 Pakistani children during the vaccination period, a 94.3% success rate against the campaign’s target of 766,000 children.

This campaign is the first of its kind in the world to vaccinate children against polio since the spread of COVID-19, after a break of nearly 4 months in vaccination efforts.

Since its launch in 2014, the UAE vaccination campaign has provided 455,956,226 polio vaccine doses to more than 86 million Pakistani children.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed has committed $327.8 million since 2011 to support global efforts to eradicate polio, with a special focus on Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The last case of wild poliovirus in the region was detected in Nigeria in 2016.

Polio eradication efforts have spared up to 1.8 million children from crippling life-long paralysis, and saved approximately 180,000 lives, as per United Nations officials.

Despite weak health systems, and significant logistical and operational challenges, countries collaborated effectively to achieve the milestone, according to Dr. Pascal Mkanda, Coordinator of WHO Polio Eradication Programme in the region.

Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, is correct in saying: “The expertise gained from polio eradication will continue to assist the African region in tackling COVID-19 and other health problems that have plagued the continent for so many years and ultimately move the continent towards universal health coverage. This will be the true legacy of polio eradication in Africa.”