Morning Briefing

In part one of a two-part blog post in USAID's "IMPACTblog," USAID Worldwide Polio Eradication Coordinator Ellyn Ogden reports on the "hard work and dedication of the Indian government at the national, state, district, block and panchaiyat levels" that was required for the country to have a year free of polio. "Over two million health workers, mobilizers, and volunteers have contributed to this success and deserve to be seen as heroes in their communities," she writes (1/20). In part two of the post, Ogden recaps polio vaccination efforts and challenges, discusses the last recorded case of polio, and writes that going forward, "Guarded optimism prevails" as the country "is still at risk of importations from countries that have not yet stopped polio transmission" (1/23).