The world has come a long way in the fight against polio:
- In 1988 there were 350,000 cases of wild polio across 125 countries with more than 1000 children per day becoming paralysed.
- In 2023 there have been only 7 cases in two countries.
Why should we keep going if we have come so far, achieved so much, and complete eradication is estimated to cost 4.5 billion dollars?
There are 5 key reasons (courtesy of PDG Dr Murray Verso, Regional End Polio Coordinator):
- To improve lives.
- To invest in the future. (Eradication is cheaper than containment).
- To improve children's lives.
- To lower health care costs.
- To make history with eradicating the 2nd disease globally.
