The world is zeroing in on the end of polio — by stopping people at bus stops, airports and train stations
This year will likely be the last to see new cases, and only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. It’s a huge step toward official eradication, which has only ever happened once before.


Last September, a massive effort vaccinated 38.2 million children across Pakistan, “from the coast of Karachi to the highest mountain . . . house to house, hut to hut,” Safdar says. The blitz involved 250,000 frontline workers.

Whether at home or on the move, however, there are those who still refuse vaccines, and Ramesh Ferris has seen such intransigence first hand.