The African Regional Certification Commission has declared Africa free from wild Polio.
Polio is a virus which spreads from person to person, usually through contaminated water. It can lead to paralysis by attacking the nervous system. Polio usually affects children under five, sometimes leading to irreversible paralysis. Death can occur when breathing muscles are affected.
The disease is now only found in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The disease currently has no cure but it can be prevented by vaccination.
Nigeria is the last African country to be declared free from wild polio, having accounted for more than half of all global cases less than a decade ago.
More than 95% of Africa’s population has now been immunised. This was one of the conditions that the Africa Regional Certification Commission set before declaring the continent free from wild polio.
