There has been more than a 30 percent reduction in polio cases globally in 2011 compared to the same time in 2010; 521 cases vs 789 cases. The number of districts infected by wild poliovirus type 3 (WPV3) is now the lowest in the history of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. (polio news, Nov. ’11)
CORE Group's Polio Eradication Efforts
Since July 1999, CORE Group, in partnership with UNICEF, Rotary International, and various governments including India, Nepal, Ethiopia and Angola, has worked to reduce the burden of polio by mobilizing communities to participate in routine immunization campaigns and vaccination services.
Learn about each CORE Group Polio Project (CGPP) country site:
Former sites:
- Bangledesh
- Nepal
- Uganda
HQ Monthly Updates
July-November 2011
- World Polio Day was held on Oct. 24 and highlighted by ‘The End of Polio Concert” held in Perth, Australia and a variety of creative celebrations held around the world; Rotarians organized a “Walk to End Polio Now” in Addis Ababa, A Festival of Voices, singing out to end polio now was held in Boston, The Tokyo Tower was lit up in purple—like the finger of a vaccinated child, and many other events were hosted by volunteers around the globe to shine a spotlight on polio eradication.
- CGPP HQ staff attended an event hosted by Rotary on the steps of the capital, where Bill Gates shared in person that eradication of polio is the Gates Foundation’s number one priority. Mr. Gates was in Washington, D.C. to meet with members of Congress, imploring them to not cut polio funding during budget deliberations.
May/June 2011
- Representatives from all three CGPP Secretariats (Angola, Ethiopia and India) and HQ staff gathered for the first CGPP Summit (June 9- 11) at World Vision headquarters in Washington, D.C. The group assembled to discuss and share project accomplishments, challenges, impacts and future activities.
- CGPP summit participants were also part of a panel presentation entitled, “Learning from Polio Eradication: Collaborative Implementation of Community-Based Strategies to Reach Special Populations," at the 38th Annual International Conference on Global Health in Washington, D.C. where education and awareness was advanced about progress, issues such as deconstructing social resistance and creating communications indicators for improved immunization. The immense progress of polio eradication efforts and the continued urgency of the problem at hand were shared to over 50 Global Health conference participants including media representatives.
- Additionally, two poster sessions entitled, "Effect of community-based program on polio vaccination in an urban slum setting in Angola; mid-term evaluation results" and "Vaccination outcomes of polio eradication activities in Uttar Pradesh, India" were highlighted.
FY10 Reports
CORE Group Polio Project: FY10 Annual Report
FY09 Reports
CORE Group Polio Project: FY09 Program Annual Report
Technical Progress of the Expanded CORE Group Polio Project - August 2009
CORE Group Polio Project: Goal, Objectives, Activities, and Milestones
Polio Communication Lessons
As part of its polio programme funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), The Communications Initiative recently coordinated the publication of a supplement in the Journal of Health Communication (JOHC) which focuses on health communication lessons from the polio experience. The papers include:
- A Drop of Tension
- Communication for Polio Eradication: Improving the Quality of Communication Programming Through Real-Time Monitoring and Evaluation
- The Complexity of Social Mobilization in Health Communication: Top-Down and Bottom-Up Experiences in Polio Eradication
- Data to Guide Action in Polio Health Communications: Experience from the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI)
- Polio Eradication Is Just Over the Horizon: The Challenges of Global Resource Mobilization
- Health Communication: Polio Lessons
Understanding the Barriers to Immunization
CORE Group and its partners work with communities to reduce the barriers to immunization. Common barriers include a lack of awareness regarding vaccination, poor surveillance capacity, and a belief that vaccinations can be harmful to children. In July 2008, the Core Group Polio Project team conducted an assessment to better understand the specific barriers in each of the four CGPP countries.
CGPP Presentations
Evaluation of the CORE Group Polio Project_ Henry Perry
Polio Eradication as a Platform for Integration_ Filimona Bisrat
Reading Corner
Is Polio Eradication Slipping Out of Reach? By Maryn McKenna July 26, 2011
An independent assessment bluntly warned that the international effort “is not on track to interrupt polio transmission as it planned to do by the end of 2012″ and likely will miss that goal as well…
Addressing the Vaccine Confidence Gap
Published in the Lancet in June 2011, this paper discusses some of the characteristics of the changing global environment that are contributing to increased public questioning of vaccines and outlines some of the specific determinants of public trust. The authors argue that "[t]he vaccine community demands rigorous evidence on vaccine efficacy and safety and technical and operational feasibility when introducing a new vaccine, but has been negligent in demanding equally rigorous research to understand the psychological, social, and political factors that affect public trust in vaccines."
Foege, William H. (2011). House on Fire: The Fight to Eradicate Smallpox. London, England: University of California Press, Ltd.
Doctors Without Borders Condemns Use of Medical Aid for Military Objectives; Reported Ruse Risks Damaging Trust Critical for Health Workers and Humanitarian Aid
Alleged Fake CIA Vaccination Campaign Undermines Medical Care
Can Polio Be Eradicated? A Skeptic Now Thnks So; DG McNeil, Jr. New York Times. 14 February 2011.
Please send comments and submissions toMeg Lynch ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ).