13 January 2016 – India marks five years without reporting a single case of wild polio. Once considered the most difficult place in the world to eradicate the virus, India’s success in eliminating the disease and maintaining its polio-free status for half a decade is a remarkable accomplishment that demonstrates the feasibility of global polio eradication. India’s polio programme has helped create a lasting health infrastructure to improve child health, and strategies developed in India helped Nigeria stop the disease. Today, lessons learned in India and Nigeria are being used to drive progress in the last two polio-endemic countries: Pakistan and Afghanistan. This is a pivotal year for polio eradication efforts. India’s five-year milestone shows that success is possible even in the most difficult circumstances, and reminds us of the need to remain committed to ending polio everywhere.