This week, India has reached a benchmark 3 years without a reported case of wild polio putting them well on the way to an official polio-free status from the WHO (expected in March). The last case of wild polio virus was reported on January 13, 2011, in an 18-month old girl. India’s large and diverse population made spreading the vaccine through the entire country a challenge. This achievement is due to a well-planned program of immunization teams spread throughout the nation.

By focusing on those hardest to reach, mobile teams from the Rotary Club, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were able to appeal to community leaders and get vaccinations to those in need.  According to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the infrastructure used to deliver the polio vaccines can now be used to deliver other vaccinations and hopefully eradicate other diseases prevalent in India. While efforts to eradicate polio world-wide continue, this milestone in India provides hope for other areas still battling the disease.