Hurray as Africa is declared Polio free

Africa has been declared Polio free after the last case in Nigeria which represents the remaining in the continent is declared free by the Africa Regional Certification Commission.

The children paralysing virus has caused havoc on little children of the continent for many years despite billion of dollars spent in fighting against it.

The virus which has no cure but prevented with vaccine can now only be found in Pakistan and Afghanistan which may due to the economic instability in the region

Nigeria, the country with the last case of Polio had invested heavily in the fight against polio but could not be declared free four years ago after two new cases were discovered in August 2016 having gone three years free from the virus.

The vaccination campaign in Nigeria involved a huge effort to reach remote and dangerous places under threat from militant violence and some health workers were killed in the process.

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. 

Polio is a virus which spreads from person to person, usually through contaminated water. It can lead to paralysis by attacking the nervous system.

There is no cure but the polio vaccine protects children for life.

In 1995, thousands of children in Africa were paralysed by the virus.

Hurray as Nigeria and Africa is free from polio.