The Global Polio Eradication Initiative India, Pakistan, Nigeria
Poliomyelitis – one of the world’s formerly most dangerous viruses – has been eradicated in most countries around the world – with the exception of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Thus, the world is on the brink of one of its greatest public health achievements. During my three successive research trips to India, Pakistan and Nigeria in 2015, 2016 and 2019 I did on the ground research on how these countries have been trying to control the virus with the help of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) – a joint eradication initiative of Rotary International, UNICEF, WHO, the CDC, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the respective governments of the countries affected – and how the GPEI’s infrastructure is now being used for other outbreaks.
