EVANSTON, Ill., July 24, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today marks one year since the last case of polio in Nigeria, the only remaining polio-endemic country in Africa. This achievement – the longest period Nigeria has gone without a case of the paralyzing disease – could signal the world will soon see a polio-free Africa, a significant global health milestone. 
 
EVANSTON, Ill., July 24, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today marks one year since the last case of polio in Nigeria, the only remaining polio-endemic country in Africa. This achievement – the longest period Nigeria has gone without a case of the paralyzing disease – could signal the world will soon see a polio-free Africa, a significant global health milestone. 
 
Rotary has been a leader in the fight to eradicate polio since 1985, when it launched the first global initiative to immunize the world's children against polio - its flagship PolioPlus program. The organization has donated more than $1.4 billion to end polio. 
 
Nigeria's last polio case occurred on July 24, 2014, in southern Kano state, and the continent of Africa has not seen a polio case since August 11, 2014. The World Health Organization (WHO) may soon remove Nigeria from the list of polio endemic countries. When Nigeria and every country in Africa go three years without a case of polio, WHO will certify the region as polio-free. Most recently, WHO declared India and its Southeast Asia region polio-free in 2014.