UNICEF: number of children with polio at all time low

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Oct. 23 there are fewer children in fewer countries than ever living with the polio virus.

The announcement was made the day before World Polio Day, an international holiday aimed at raising awareness about the virus and rallying efforts to stamp it out.

“Progress to end polio is real and dramatic, with now just two countries in the world where the wild poliovirus has never been interrupted: Afghanistan and Pakistan,” UNICEF's Polio Unit Head Peter Crowley said. “But – and it’s a big but – until all children everywhere are consistently and routinely immunized against polio, the threat remains. We cannot let down our guard; we have to keep going until there is not a single child anywhere who remains unvaccinated.”

UNICEF pointed to Nigeria as an inspiring example of the trend toward eradication. As recently as 2012, the country accounted for more than half of all polio cases in the world. This year, the disease was interrupted well enough that Nigeria was taken off the list of countries where polio is considered endemic, and it is closer than ever to being rid of the virus entirely.

This trend continues worldwide, where 2015's wild polio cases are down by nearly 80 percent, from 242 in 2014 to 51 so far this year.

“We aim to bring a global halt to polio transmission by this time next year, but the only way to do this is for countries with low vaccination dates to re-double their efforts to reach every child, wherever they are and no matter how hard this may be,” Crowley said.