Nigeria marked its first year without a single case of polio on Friday, reaching a milestone many experts had thought would elude it as internal conflict hampered the battle against the crippling disease. It means the country could come off the list of countries where polio is endemic in a few weeks, once the World Health Organization (WHO) can confirm that the last few samples taken from people in previously affected areas are free of the virus.This achievement turns up the pressure on Pakistan, where most of the few polio cases in the world remain, to follow suit.This latest achievement means that now the WHO can take the country off the list of countries where polio is an epidemic. Nigeria’s case is one that should serve as a positive example for Pakistan in its battle to eradicate polio. It raises the hope that polio could become the second infectious disease after smallpox to be eradicated finally and forever. The disease spreads among the young, usually in areas with poor sanitation, which makes conflict zones and underdeveloped countries susceptible to it. The way out is comprehensive, population-wide vaccination campaigns that do not miss any of its targets. Polio workers in Nigeria, like Pakistan, were killed by Boko Haram militants. However, the country has succeeded in curbing the disease. The disease had spread in northern Nigeria after a year-long vaccine ban in 2003, with some politicians and religious leaders arguing that the vaccine aimed at making people sterile or spread AIDS.Nigeria and the world must celebrate the moment. According to figures available in media reports, only 27 years ago – in 1988 – there were 128 countries staked by endemic polio. This is what makes the indictment for the two countries that are still not clear of polio easier and stronger. There has been a drop in the number of cases of late, but with 28 reported cases in Pakistan this year as against five in Afghanistan, Pakistan has to be the most serious challenge for the anti-polio coalition. Nigeria’s example tells us that it has to be cohesive, efficient process involving everyone from the government health machinery to the NGOs to political parties and social motivators, including the clerics.The tentative victory against polio in Nigeria is a story of hope. The Pakistani government will need to give polio vaccinators protection and ensure that every nook and cranny of the country receives the vaccine. With India having eradicated the disease in 2011, it is time for Pakistan to show that it is serious in eradicating polio from the world.
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