Polio is a disease that causes permanent paralysis.
We can't cure it, but we can prevent it.
Two important tools help to prevent polio.
Two safe, effective vaccines.
One of these vaccines is given with just two drops
into the mouth of a child,
this is called the oral polio vaccine.
The other is given with an injection,
this is called the inactivated polio virus vaccine.
They both teach children's bodies how to fight off the polio virus.
But they do this in different ways.
The oral polio vaccine builds protection in the child's intestine.
This vaccine not only protects the child who receives it,
but also protects all those around the vaccinated child.
Several doses of the oral polio vaccine should be given to every single child
in places where polio is a threat.
The injectable vaccine builds protection in the blood instead of the gut.
It helps to boost immunity and keeps countries free from polio.
But it doesn't stop polio spreading between children,
so it is not as useful in places where the virus is still circulating.
We need the oral vaccine to stop the virus wherever it is found.
Once polio has been stopped everywhere,
the inactivated polio virus vaccine will be used on its own
to keep populations protected.
Both of these vaccines have been approved as safe and effective
by the World Health Organization.
To do their job properly, they need to be given to all children
no matter where they live.
Thanks to these vaccines
cases of polio have fallen by over 99% around the world.
Let's vaccinate every last child!
Let's end polio forever!