Key achievements in global polio eradication since 1988

Since 1988, when the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) began, the world has made extraordinary progress. Global polio cases have dropped by more than 99 percent. Over 3 billion children have been vaccinated, and more than 20 million people who might have been paralyzed by polio are now living healthy lives. Two of the three wild poliovirus types (types 2 and 3) have been officially eradicated. The Americas, Europe, South-East Asia, and Africa have been certified polio-free, including India in 2014. These achievements are due to mass immunization drives, improved surveillance, and international collaboration. Despite progress, polio still exists in small pockets of Afghanistan and Pakistan, requiring sustained vigilance and vaccination to achieve total eradication.