News
The Fight Against Polio
"This is a devastating disease for children. It cripples. It maims. It occasionally kills. Children in particular have a miserable life affected by polio. These are the crawlers on the street. These are people begging for food. They really don't have much of a future, and I think we can provide them with a good future, just by a simple vaccination." - USAID Worldwide Polio Eradication Coordinator Ellyn Ogden
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These vaccinators are among the 20 million volunteers working on polio eradication around the world.
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Polio virus spreads through fecal-oral transmission. Open sewers, such as this one in Uttar Pradesh, India, are areas where children walk and play. Virus is easily spread to unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children in these conditions.
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Careful checking of abandoned houses, while looking for booby-traps and landmines, revealed thousands of children who otherwise would have been missed during the vaccine campaign.
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A constant reminder of the many wars fought in Afghanistan, the supports for this bridge are made from old tanks. Reaching children in conflict areas is one of the greatest challenges to polio eradication.