How the Global Polio Eradication Program Strengthened Health Systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Description

Join Olakunle Alonge, an associate professor at the School of Public Health, for a facilitated discussion on how, over the course of 30 years, the Global Polio Eradication Program influences the health systems of entire countries and created a foundation for more sustainable and equitable care.

Polio is a life-threatening disease caused by the poliovirus. In 1988, the virus was targeted for eradication and, according to the World Health Organization as of early 2022 has been stopped in all countries except Afghanistan and Pakistan, and in 2021 it was estimated that globally approximately 80% of infants received three doses of the polio vaccine. The global eradication program has required an exceptional amount of continuous community education, health advocacy, vaccine development and distribution, and health system sustainability that has impacted patient care far outside the polio eradication programs.