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Guy on a wheelchair Photo by Ricardo IV Tamayo on Unsplash |
Since 1988, the prevalence of polio has dramatically dropped. Around the world, roughly 350,000 cases of polio were diagnosed in 1988. In 2017, this number was more than 99 percent lower, with only 22 reported cases.
This dramatic decrease was the result of a global effort by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Rotary International, and other organizations to completely eradicate the disease. Thanks to these efforts, Europe, South East Asia, the Americas, and the Western Pacific are certified polio-free.
However, the disease does still exist. Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria are still polio-endemic. Disrupting the spread of the polio virus in these countries has been difficult because of the inadequate immunization coverage and slow breakout response. Unless the virus is completely eradicated, polio can spread to polio-free countries and spread rapidly among populations that are not immunized.
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