Social mobilization was the backbone of polio eradication efforts with health workers, combating polio “community by community by community,” UNICEF Executive Director Tony Lake told Devex Impact associate editor Adva Saldinger in an exclusive interview.
Understanding the community structure was crucial to reach traditional and religious leaders, the UNICEF chief said.
#EndPolio initiatives have made great strides toward global eradication in recent times. With Nigeria not registering a single new case of polio for a full year and on the cusp of being declared completely polio free in 2017, Pakistan and Afghanistan are today the last remaining countries facing endemic polio.
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About the author
Jacques Jimeno
Jacques is a former copy editor at Devex’s news production team. Previously, he worked with the Philippine Department of Tourism and the World Wide Fund for Nature.