The Public Health Legacy of Polio Eradication in Africa

The legacy of polio in Africa goes far beyond the tragedies of millions of children with permanent paralysis. It has a positive side, which includes the many well-trained polio staff who have vaccinated children, conducted surveillance, tested stool specimens in the laboratories, engaged with commun...

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Published inThe Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 216; no. suppl_1; pp. S343 - S350
Main Authors Craig, Allen S., Haydarov, Rustam, O'Malley, Helena, Galway, Michael, Dao, Halima, Ngongo, Ngashi, Baranyikwa, Marie Therese, Naqvi, Savita, Abid, Nima S., Pandak, Carol, Edwards, Amy
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published US Oxford University Press 01.07.2017
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Summary:The legacy of polio in Africa goes far beyond the tragedies of millions of children with permanent paralysis. It has a positive side, which includes the many well-trained polio staff who have vaccinated children, conducted surveillance, tested stool specimens in the laboratories, engaged with communities, and taken care of polio patients. This legacy also includes support for routine immunization services and vaccine introductions and campaigns for other diseases. As polio funding declines, it is time to take stock of the resources made available with polio funding in Africa and begin to find ways to keep some of the talented staff, infrastructure, and systems in place to work on new public health challenges. The partnerships that helped support polio eradication will need to consider funding to maintain and to strengthen routine immunization services and other maternal, neonatal, and child health programs in Africa that have benefitted from the polio eradication infrastructure.
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Correspondence: A. S. Craig, MD, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd NE, Mailstop A-27, Atlanta, GA 30329 (acraig@cdc.gov).
ISSN:0022-1899
1537-6613
DOI:10.1093/infdis/jix034