Global efforts to eliminate polio are at a critical juncture, and my personal encounter in India exemplifies why complete eradication remains feasible.

On October 13, 2022, the world took another significant step towards polio eradication, with Dr. Naveen Thacker, the president-elect of the International Pediatric Association, leading the charge.

Dr. Thacker's journey began in a small town in Gujarat, India, where he diagnosed 55 children with polio in a single month. Nearly one-third of them sadly succumbed to the disease. Determined to make a difference, Dr. Thacker collaborated with the local Rotary Club to launch an immunization program.

In 1994, India accounted for 60% of all polio cases worldwide. However, Dr. Thacker's efforts, coupled with the Indian government's National Immunization Days and mass vaccination campaigns, helped India see its last case of endemic wild polio in 2011.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), launched in 1988, has been instrumental in this global effort. The GPEI's work has resulted in a 99.9% decrease in polio cases worldwide, transforming the disease from a global crisis to a manageable challenge.

However, the fight against polio is far from over. A circulating variant known as cVDPV has been detected in wastewater in London, New York City, and Israel, and has caused paralysis in one patient in New York. Similarly, wild poliovirus strains linked to Pakistan have recently emerged in Malawi and Mozambique.

To combat these challenges, the GPEI has launched a new five-year strategy to eradicate polio forever. New tools like better disease surveillance systems and a new "type 2" oral polio vaccine (nOPV2) are available for polio eradication.

Moreover, the Gates Foundation is leveraging mobile payments to support vaccination workers in their crucial role in the fight against polio. Dr. Thacker himself has utilised this approach, writing small booklets in Gujarati, the local language, to explain the transmission of polio and the importance of immunization.

Dr. Thacker's work has not gone unnoticed. He has been involved with Rotary International in combating polio before becoming president of the International Pediatric Association. Recently, he signed a declaration urging the global community to fully invest in polio eradication programs.

The world is inching closer than ever to eradicating polio. With dedicated individuals like Dr. Naveen Thacker at the helm, the end of polio may well be within our grasp.

Global efforts to eliminate polio are at a critical juncture, and my personal encounter in India exemplifies why complete eradication remains feasible.