Today marks World Polio Day

World Polio Day was established more than a decade ago by Rotary International to honor Jonas Salk, the man who led the team that developed the polio vaccine.

According to the CDC, the polio vaccine reduced the incidence of polio worldwide by 99%. The number of worldwide polio cases has dropped from approximately 350,000 in 1988 to fewer than 1,300 in 2010. Today, only Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan remain as polio-endemic countries. In January, India celebrated 1 year since the last reported polio case and has been declared polio-free.

To honor World Polio Day, CDC will be using Twitter and Facebook to feature efforts in polio eradication by the CDC and other partners around the world. CDC, along with Rotary International, UNICEF, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.S. Agency for International Development, and others, are partners of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Despite the progress made since 1988, poliovirus still exists and poses a significant risk for unvaccinated children. According to the CDC, a funding gap of $2 billion threatens progress for the 2012-2013 year. Despite outbreaks and funding shortages, the 65th World Health Assembly in May declared the completion of polio eradication a global public health programmatic emergency.

For more information on the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, visit www.polioeradication.org.