There has been a drastic and dramatic decline in the number of children contracting polio in the last year, according to the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) which is marking the eve of World Polio Day on Saturday.
This is the first time in the history of polio where so few children have contracted the virus, but the international community cannot rest until the number of cases is zero, the agency said.
"Globally, there have been just 51 cases of wild polio virus since the beginning of 2015, compared with 242 wild polio cases for 2014," UNICEF said.
In India, where thousands of children once suffered from polio-induced paralysis each year, has seen no cases in four years.
"Progress to end polio is real and dramatic, with now just two countries in the world where the polio virus has never been interrupted: Afghanistan and Pakistan," Xinhua news agency quoted Peter Crowley, head of the Polio Unit at UNICEF as saying.
"But -- and it is a big but -- until all children everywhere are consistently and routinely immunised against polio, the threat remains," Crowley added.
Over a decade ago, Rotary International established "World Polio Day" on 24 October for annual observance to commemorate the fight against poliomyelitis.
Widespread use of poliovirus vaccine led to an increasing number of polio-free countries and to the establishment of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988.
As of 14 October, a total of 243 polio cases had been reported in 2014, with 92% of the cases reported from Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. These are the only three countries where transmission of indigenous wild poliovirus has continued uninterrupted.
The UN agency further said that Nigeria, the epicentre of more than half of all polio cases in the world, had been removed from the list of polio endemic countries in September. Nigeria's remarkable achievement has brought the country and the African region closer than ever to being certified polio-free.
"Globally, there have been just 51 cases of wild polio virus since the beginning of 2015, compared with 242 wild polio cases for 2014," UNICEF said.
UNICEF added that integration of additional life-saving interventions for children like routine immunisation, nutrition, hand washing with soap, and breastfeeding, into polio campaigns, particularly in the most under-served and high-risk areas have been some other success factors.
Despite this progress, recent vaccine-derived poliovirus outbreaks in countries like Lao-PDR, Ukraine, Guinea and Madagascar have underscored the risks that many countries continue to face due to low routine immunisation coverage.
These outbreaks serve as a reminder of the vital need for intensified efforts to strengthen routine immunisation systems and address disparities in children's access to basic health services.
"We aim to bring a global halt to polio transmission by this time next year, but the only way to do this is for countries with low vaccination dates to re-double their efforts to reach every child, wherever they are and no matter how hard this may be," Crowley said.
Polio is a highly infectious viral disease, which mainly affects young children. The virus is transmitted from one person to another and spreads mainly through the faecal-oral route or by a common vehicle like contaminated water or food. Once the virus enters the human body, it multiplies in the intestine, from where it can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis.
Initial symptoms of polio include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, and pain in the limbs. In a small proportion of cases, the disease causes paralysis, which is often permanent. There is no cure for polio; it can only be prevented by immunisation.
