Global Polio Eradication Efforts

The Need:
For the last 20 years, global polio eradication has been a collaborative effort between the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Rotary International, CDC, foreign Ministries of Health, and other non-governmental organization partners. Despite being close to global polio eradication, there are still countries where polio is endemic, and the challenge of circulating vaccine derived polio (cVDPV) remains. Disease surveillance does not occur in many areas, hampering eradication efforts.

Results:
Since 2003, McKing has been supporting polio eradication efforts by placing consultants in over 40 countries for short- and long-term assignments, enabling international organizations to have representatives on the ground, keeping them informed of and participating in in-country surveillance activities.

McKing’s on-the-ground support and collaboration with key public health organizations has contributed to polio eradication efforts worldwide. Results in Africa provide an example of McKing’s successful support and implementation of strategies developed by international organizations. Polio cases in inaccessible areas of Nigeria caused difficulties in fully eradicating wild polio in the African region; however, through collaborative efforts supported by McKing, Nigeria is now free from wild polio virus, and the continent of Africa is considered polio free as of August 2020. At the beginning of 2021, only two countries were still considered to be polio endemic countries—Afghanistan and Pakistan; the focus of McKing’s support has turned to eradicating polio in these countries. McKing consultants are also now focused on providing outbreak response as outbreaks occur, and working on advocacy for the new polio vaccine, nOPV.