Over the centuries, polio has crippled many lives. Less than 40 years ago, polio was endemic in 125 countries around the world with more than 350,000 children paralyzed for life each year.1 The step change in defeating the disease came in 1988, with the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), led by the World Health Organization. Since then, the number of people with paralysis has decreased by 99% and there are now only two countries with endemic wild poliovirus transmission (Pakistan and Afghanistan).2 Sanofi has been involved in this fight from the beginning and continues to play a critical role in the delivery of polio vaccines.
The fight against polio is not over
World Polio Day 2021: New Momentum Towards Eradication
Find out More About the Virus
The story of Juan Guillermo Jiménez
Juan Guillermo Jiménez was infected by the poliovirus when he was young. He shares his story and his fight against the disease.
Find out more about our efforts to eradicate polio
References
- WHO. Fact sheet N°114. Updated July 2019. Accessed September 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/poliomyelitis
- Polio Eradication. Accessed September 2020. Retrieved from: https://polioeradication.org/who-we-are/our-mission/
MAT-GLB-2104690 v1 – 10/2021
This page last update: 10-2021