In the last 15 years, the number of cases of polio worldwide has dropped spectacularly, going from 350,000 cases in 1988 when the Global Polio Eradication Initiative began to 1,940 in 2005 (data as of March 14, 2006). This eradication initiative, whose aim is to eliminate all cases due to the wild virus throughout the world, now has tools in place to rapidly stop polio transmission everywhere except Nigeria, where, as of June 2006, another 12 months will be required.

Polio is a unique disease in the history of medicine. In more than one instance, the fight against polio has given rise to an extraordinary public reaction and mobilization. The first polio vaccine, the injectable vaccine developed by Jonas Salk, was hailed as a breakthrough in medical research. Health care for polio victims has led to advances that have become standard practice in today's hospitals. In addition, the methods used to produce the polio vaccine revolutionized manufacturing techniques, which were then applied to other vaccines.