Reaching Every Last Child

"Frontline health workers are the heroes of polio eradication."

Some children live in places that are harder to reach with polio vaccines than others. This short video shows how, in every vulnerable country, the World Health Organization (WHO) helps make sure that every child - even those who are on the move or living in conflict zones or in remote communities - receives polio vaccines. Among the strategies used as part of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI): working with governments to make sure polio eradication operations are planned and implemented properly so that no child is missed. Frontline health workers ensure equitable access to polio vaccines, often braving long and dangerous journeys to deliver two drops of vaccine to each child multiple times. Detailed plans of every city's streets and pathways into remote settlements help vaccinators know how many children should be found behind every door they knock on.

The WHO helps identify vaccinators from within communities themselves by training local women and men who are trusted by their neighbours and who can deliver the vaccine themselves. As part of this approach, GPEI partners find and work with local community influencers and religious and traditional leaders. WHO, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and Rotary enhance community acceptance and ownership of polio eradication through strategies to help deliver vaccines even in remote or conflict-affected areas by maintaining programme neutrality and engaging local communities. Experts negotiate access to conflict zones and carry out rapid vaccination campaigns. Millions of children are vaccinated at prominent transit points. Special teams trace the movement of nomadic families so that children can receive multiple doses of polio vaccine no matter where they are.