Chapter Four Polio eradication the final challenge As a result of the global polio eradication initiative. one of the largest public health efforts in history, the number of chil- dren paralysed by this devastating disease every year has fallen from over 350 000 in 1988 to as few as 1900 in 2003 the number of endemic countries has fallen from over 125 to seven. This chapter records the final phase of the campaign to eradicate one of the oldest known diseases the vision of a polio-free world is now within reachPolio Eradication: the final challenge 57 Chapter Four Polio Eradication: the final challenge As a result of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, one of the largest public health efforts in history, the number of chil￾dren paralysed by this devastating disease every year has fallen from over 350 000 in 1988 to as few as 1900 in 2003; the number of endemic countries has fallen from over 125 to seven. This chapter records the final phase of the campaign to eradicate one of the oldest known diseases. The vision of a polio-free world is now within reach