The World Is On the Verge of Wiping Out Polio — So Why Did Germany Cut Its Funding Now?

The World Is On the Verge of Wiping Out Polio — So Why Did Germany Cut Its Funding Now?

The world is close to wiping out polio, and that in itself is close to miraculous. Of the thousands of diseases that afflict humans, only one, smallpox, has ever been eradicated before.   But despite tremendous progress, polio isn’t going down without a fight. Budget cuts, vaccination gaps, and difficulties reaching hard-to-access communities keep pushing the finish line further back. As cases creep upward, virus strains have re-emerged in count…