麻豆社

In 1988 the WHO kicked off a global vaccination campaign aimed at eradicating poliomyelitis, an infection caused by polioviruses that can cause paralysis of the limbs, especially in children, and in severe cases lead to death. Today that campaign has paid off and Nigeria will be declared free of the wild strand of the poliovirus in August. Dr. Faisal Shuaib leads the scientific team tasked with proving that Nigeria is indeed polio-free. He tells us how the country achieved this important milestone.

(Photo: A health worker tries to immunize a child during a vaccination campaign against polio at Hotoro-Kudu, Nassarawa district of Kano in northwest Nigeria. Credit: PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP via Getty Images)