Polio News October 2020

Friday, 30 October 2020

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Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)

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October 2020

POLIO NEWS

Dear Moderator,

On 24 October, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative celebrated World Polio Day by championing the heroic frontline workers who fight to protect children against polio and other diseases, and by recommitting to tackle challenges ahead. The GPEI announced two new Polio Gender Champions – UK Minister for European Neighbourhood and the Americas Wendy Morton and Spain’s Foreign Minister Arancha González – who join Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne with their commitments to advance gender equality within the polio programme. Other high-level political leaders also voiced their support for polio eradication, including Canada’s Minister of International Development Karina Gould, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

While hurdles remain – from stopping cVDPV outbreaks to making up ground lost due to COVID-19 – our supporters’ relentless dedication and commitment will help us end polio. In November, the World Health Assembly will offer us the opportunity to take stock of progress and discuss the way forward. We invite you to join us for the polio sessions via the WHO livestream.

Rotary’s World Polio Day event spotlights Africa’s wild polio-free milestone

©Andrew Esiebo/2020

During Rotary’s 2020 World Polio Day Global Update, Rotarians celebrated the African region’s recent triumph over wild polio and recommitted to securing a polio-free future for children everywhere. Anchored by the theme ´A win for polio is a win for global health´, the event featured remarks from polio survivor Ade Adepitan, Rotary leaders such as Dr Tunji Funsho, GPEI partners like UNICEF Chief Henrietta Fore and many more who helped highlight how polio infrastructure is not only helping fight polio, but is also strengthening countries’ health systems to combat other diseases. [More]

Overcoming the odds to fight dual diseases

©WHO Afghanistan

“I am committed to serve my people and go out in the field to help save others’ lives,” Dr Farima Azimi says, reflecting on her budding public health career with the polio programme. At only 22, Farima, a medical graduate and district polio officer, is determined to protect her community in Kandahar, Afghanistan, against polio and COVID-19, working long hours to dispel health misinformation and set an example for other young women in her community. [More]

Polio programme makes pandemic pivot

©WHO Somalia/Ismail Taxta/Ildoog

Polio staff around the globe are facing one of their biggest challenges yet – delivering polio vaccines and continuing the fight against COVID-19 at the same time. See how health workers from Pakistan to Somalia have lent their polio expertise to curb the spread of COVID-19, and are now working to close a widened polio immunity gap. [More]

Teaming up to build community trust

©WHO Philippines

To stop polio outbreaks, it is crucial to reach everyone with vaccines, even those in remote villages in the Philippines. By collaborating with local officials in Barangay Bianoan, polio workers are raising confidence in vaccines by explaining to families the importance of protecting everyone against polio. [More]

POLIO IN NUMBERS

Wild poliovirus in 2020 (2019)*

Global Total: 120 (82)

Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus in 2020 (2019)*

Global Total: 406 (90)

*Data as of 27 October 2020. Numbers in brackets represent data at this time in 2019.

Breakdown by country

Polio this week

POLIO IN THE NEWS

Al Arabiya: World Polio Day is a reminder of hope and a useful lesson for fighting coronavirus

Al Jazeera: Q&A: ‘We can eradicate polio from the world’

The Economist: Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last countries fighting polio

Reuters: Mass polio, measles vaccine program for Somalia

The Telegraph: How Nigeria beat polio: from ‘hit-and-run’ vaccine squads to digging wells

DONOR UPDATES

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative would like to thank UK Minister of European Neighbourhood and the Americas Wendy Morton and Spain’s Foreign Minister Arancha González for committing to support the gender work of the polio programme, alongside Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne. The historic contributions of the UK, Spain and Australia have been instrumental to eradicate wild poliovirus in five out of six WHO regions worldwide.