When we look back on 2015, it may well be seen as the year the tide irreversibly turned on polio. Wild poliovirus is more geographically constrained than it has been at any point in recorded history. As of 10 December 2015, 66 wild poliovirus cases have been reported from the only two remaining polio endemic countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan, compared to the 324 cases found in nine countries during the same period in 2014.
From Nigeria being removed from the list of polio endemic countries to the declaration of wild poliovirus type 2 (WPV2) eradication to the closure of several outbreaks, progress against polio has accelerated in its remaining strongholds. We are rapidly closing in on the finishing line.
While we saw important steps forward this year, we also faced challenges which we must address in 2016 to achieve a polio-free world.
