Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates said he believes this year will mark the end of the poliovirus.
Since 1988, there has been a significant drop in cases worldwide from 350,000 to an estimated 12 people infected currently.
Poliovirus spreads with human-to-human contact and can live in the person’s throat and intestines before invading other areas.
‘Progress in fighting polio might be one of the world’s best-kept secrets in global health,’ Gates said in the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s annual letter. ‘If things stay stable in the conflicted areas, humanity will see its last case of polio this year.’
But health experts warn that the virus is symptomless and will continue to spread in people for decades to come.
