Introduction to Poliomyelitis and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative

Course information

This course is also available in the following language: français

Overview: Polio is a virus that spreads from person-to-person with the ability to cause paralysis.

In 1988, the World Health Assembly passed a resolution to eradicate polio. At the time, there were 125 endemic countries. Currently wild poliovirus remains in only two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is a partnership led by six agencies: WHO, CDC, UNICEF, Rotary, BMGF and GAVI. These agencies work together in key areas of surveillance, vaccination, communication, and research to eradicate polio.

This course utilizes short videos and quizzes to introduce the material and test your understanding.

Learning objectives: By the end of this course, participants should be able to:

• Describe the poliovirus, including transmission and key definitions;
• Explain the differences between the two polio vaccines and how they contribute to prevention;
• Outline the key components of the polio eradication strategy;
• Summarize the current status of polio eradication; and
• Describe the remaining challenges to polio eradication.

Course duration: This course should take approximately 1 hour to complete.

Certificates: Participants can gain a certificate by achieving more than 80% in quizzes throughout the course. Participants who receive a Record of Achievement can also download an Open Badge for this course. Click here to learn how.

Course contents

• Module 1: Introduction:

  This module is an introduction to the Introduction to Poliomyelitis and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative course. It provides an overview of the course, outlines the learning objectives, and includes an introduction by Michel Zaffran, Director of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative at the World Health Organization.

• Module 2: The Poliovirus:

  In Module 2, we will look at the poliovirus, how it is transmitted, and the clinical presentation of the virus.

• Module 3: Polio Vaccines :

  In this module, we will look at the differences between the two polio vaccines, how they contribute to prevention, and explore key polio definitions.

• Module 4: The GPEI Partnership and the Polio Eradication Status:

  In this module, we will look what the GPEI partnership is and look at the current status of polio eradication.

• Module 5: Polio Eradication Strategies:

  In this module, we will discuss the key components of the polio eradication strategy.

• Module 6: Challenges to Polio Eradication:

  In this module, we will explore the remaining challenges to polio eradication.