Polio’s Resurgence: How Mismanagement and Deception Undermine Global Eradication Efforts

For over thirty years, the global campaign to eradicate polio stood as one of the most ambitious public health initiatives ever undertaken. Yet today, the disease remains stubbornly entrenched in Pakistan and Afghanistan—two nations where vaccine mistrust, logistical failures, and outright deception have undone years of progress.When Global Ambition Clashes with Ground RealitiesSughra Ayaz, a dedicated frontline worker in southeastern Pakistan, knows this all too well. She has spent a decade going door to door trying to convince parents to vaccinate their children. But amid severe poverty and rampant misinformation—some families falsely believe the oral vaccine sterilizes their kids—her efforts...