Poliovirus almost extinct in Pakistan, Afghanistan, health experts say

Global efforts have confined polio to a few areas in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the last two countries where the virus still affects children, VOA reported in an article.

According to WHO, progress has been made in tackling the disease, with Pakistan reporting two cases this year and Afghanistan reporting none.

Experts credit ongoing vaccination efforts for pushing polio to the brink of extinction, with the virus now limited to small areas in southern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan.

Since 1988, cases caused by wild poliovirus have decreased by over 99%, from an estimated 350,000 in more than 125 endemic countries to just two endemic countries as of October 2023, according to WHO.

The decline is credited to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, led by WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International, the US CDC, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.