What donors can learn from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s transition
Our Policy Associate, Kaci Kennedy McDade, attended the 2019 World Health Summit in Berlin. This blog is her reflection on the Summit. At the World Health Summit last month, I attended a session on finishing the last mile of polio eradication. At the session, panelists described the remarkable gains that have been made over the last three decades. For example, since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988, poliovirus cases have decreased by over 99% and polio remains endemic in only three countries (Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan). Although we have not yet achieved global polio eradication, a key topic of the discussion that may have surprised some attendees was transition. By transition, I mean the phase-out and withdrawal of polio-focused support. While some participants may have…