Africa defeats wild polio

No more polio in Africa - 7th September 2020

Africa is now free of wild polio.

Polio is a very dangerous disease. Children under 5 often get Polio and it sometimes stops the body moving. Polio gets into the brain and the nervous system. It can even stop people breathing. 10 per cent of polio patients die. The disease can spread from person to person. There is no cure for polio, but in 1961, a vaccine was developed. It protects children for life.

In 1996, over 75,000 African children lost the ability to walk because of polio. President Nelson Mandela began a programme called "Kick Polio out of Africa". Millions of health workers went from village to village and gave children the vaccine.

Many parents didn't trust the vaccine. The health workers had to educate them. This delayed the programme. In some communities, it took many years before polio was gone.

Nigeria was the last African country to still have polio. It was difficult to get the vaccine to some villages because of fighting and war. Some health workers were killed.

Now, the Africa Regional Certification Commission has said Africa is free from wild polio. More than 95 per cent of Africa has been given the vaccine. Now, polio is only found in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The World Health Organisation says polio could return to Africa if the vaccine programme stops. It is important that countries stay focused until there is no more polio anywhere in the world.