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Vaccine Victory

Africa declared free of wild poliovirus thanks to vaccination campaigns

14 October 2020

Vaccine Victory

As the world awaits the development of vaccines against SARS-Cov-2, efforts against another devastating virus bring home the benefits of immunisation. Following extensive vaccination campaigns and four years with no new cases, the World Health Organization recently declared Africa free of wild poliovirus. Once feared worldwide, poliovirus causes poliomyelitis, an incurable disease which can lead to paralysis, but is preventable with vaccination. Pictured, a doctor administers oral polio vaccines in Nigeria, wild poliovirus’ last holdout in Africa. Easier delivery makes this oral vaccine a popular tool, yet it has a major drawback: containing a weakened form of poliovirus, it can sometimes trigger its own outbreaks, especially in communities with poor sanitation and low immunisation rates. Several countries are dealing with vaccine-derived infections, and wild poliovirus remains in Afghanistan and Pakistan, so the fight against polio continues, but this progress brings hope that the virus can eventually be consigned to history.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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