Devex: What we’ve learned about reaching every last child
Hamid Jafari, director of global polio eradication operations and research at the WHO

“…The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a public-private partnership, has managed to reach and vaccinate almost every last child on earth in a bid to rid the globe of this disease. The lessons of this effort that has spanned two decades provide a blueprint to both eradicate the disease and reach the most vulnerable human beings in the world with health services. … What we need now is to fine-tune and continue to innovate as we apply these lessons to get us across the finish line and ensure no child ever again suffers from this crippling disease. … Continued government commitment and a focus on the communities where children are still being missed are keys to the improvements we need to make sure Afghanistan and Pakistan succeed in joining the polio-free world…” (5/19).