Polio in Nigeria: The race to eradication

Since 1988, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)—an international partnership of government and private institutions—has reduced the number of reported polio cases worldwide by more than 99 percent, successfully eliminating polio from much of the globe. Yet Nigeria remains one of the most entrenched reservoirs of poliovirus in the world. Continued transmission in 7 of Nigeria’s northern states has led to reintroduction of the virus in at least 12 African countries previously declared polio free, repeatedly dashing hopes that global targets for eradication—first in 2000, then in 2005—could be met. Recurrent setbacks, including a resurgence of cases in 2011, have introduced an element of skepticism that the global campaign can ultimately be successful. A remarkably frank and hard-hitting evaluation from the GPEI Independent Monitoring Board expressed concerns in late 2011 that polio “will not be eradicated on the current trajectory. Important changes in style, commitment and accountability