"The greatest obstacle in eradicating Polio is understanding the fear our affected population has for modern medicine. This can be overcome when members of these communities become immunizers"

Tafarki Kudaru   

The World Health Organization (WHO) is working toward eradicating polio throughout the world. Significant strides have already been made. In 1988, 355,000 cases of polio in 125 countries were reported. By the end of 2004, there were just 1,255 cases.

Six countries (Afghanistan, Egypt, India, Niger, Nigeria, and Pakistan) still have polio circulating, and the virus could be introduced to other countries. If the polio virus is imported into a country where not enough people have been immunized, there's the risk that it could spread from person to person. That's what has happened in some countries in Africa and Asia. So until it has been eliminated worldwide, it's important to continue vaccinating kids.