Aug. 27, 2020 — An effort that began in 1996 has led to the eradication of polio in Africa, according to the World Health Organization.
The campaign by governments and nonprofits delivered nearly 9 billion polio vaccines, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a livestreamed event on Tuesday, CNN reported.
“The end of wild polio in Africa is a great day,” said Tedros, who chairs the polio oversight board. “Your success is the success of the world. None of us could have done this alone.”
There is no treatment or cure for polio, but vaccination can prevent infection with the once common virus, CNN reported.