In 1979, researchers thought they had eliminated smallpox worldwide, but in a U.K. university lab, a scientist, not following proper safety protocols, released smallpox, infecting the scientist himself and a college student with a room just above the lab. Now researchers are working on eradicating another almost-gone disease: polio. Eradicating a disease is difficult for numerous reasons including the failure to vaccinate people, keeping track of outbreaks, and the trouble of locating and containing every single sample of a virus that has ever existed, as failed to happen in 1979. So far in 2019, there have been 6 reported cases of wild polio virus (Pakistan and Afganistan) and 2 cases of vaccine-derived polio virus (Nigeria) which is significantly reduced from the 350,000 cases in 1988. This significant drop can be attributed to the eradication efforts of organizations such as the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
Global Polio Eradication Initiative
Polio Surveillance Network
One effort towards eradicating polio has been to keep track of outbreaks so that they are isolated to one area and to make sure polio is not hiding in remote areas of the world. Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and WHO’s Regional Office for Africa have worked together in making a high tech surveillance network that allows real-time detection of suspected polio cases anywhere on the continent. Thousands of healthcare workers, volunteers, and community members are trained with phones to conduct regular surveillance visits at health clinics in Africa. This system allows immediate action to be taken by teams for investigating the polio case. By having an immediate updated system, the spread of polio can be controlled and treated as fast as possible.
Women on the front-lines of polio eradication
Not only are eradication efforts focused on technology but also social realities. A large part of the success of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative is knocking on people’s doors and establishing rapport with the caregivers of the home so they will allow the health providers to vaccinate the family members. In many parts of the world, decisions to vaccinate are based on social, economic, religious, and cultural reasons. Female healthcare workers are able to work through the influences because not only are they female healthcare providers, but trusted members of the community. In outbreak countries, women make up 68% of the front line workforce.
Because I have grown up in the United States where polio no longer exists, I have never realized or thought about how this disease still affects people in other countries. The efforts made by people to eradicate polio has reduced the prevalence of this disease and prevented thousands of adults and mainly children from becoming paralyzed or even dying. My hope is that one day we can say polio is eradicated and future generations do not have to worry about this disease. It is the responsibility of healthcare providers to keep communities educated on the importance of vaccination. As someone who plans to become a pharmacist and is pro-vaccine I hope that one day I can contribute to the eradication efforts made worldwide.
Vaccine Culture 