Luis Fermin Tenorio of Peru: the last child to contract polio in the Western Hemisphere. Courtesy UNICEF

In remote villages and urban slums, an army of experts and committed volunteers is fighting what could be the final battle in an age-old war. With adequate funding and much perseverance, they may soon wipe out the last trace of an enemy that has plagued humanity for thousands of years.

This is the war on polio.

The Last Child tells the behind-the-scenes story of the global campaign to eradicate polio, the dreaded childhood disease that continues to cripple and kill. From the frontlines in Nigeria, India, Haiti and elsewhere, you'll witness the victories and challenges of trying to eradicate a disease worldwide for only the second time in history.

 

Accompanied by an armed guard, a health worker in Somalia vaccinates a child. Courtesy World Health Organization

The polio eradication campaign is the largest non- military, global enterprise ever. It involves dozens of organizations, scores of governments, thousands of health workers and millions of volunteers. In a world of AIDS, malaria and other health crises, the eradication of polio would demonstrate that humankind can triumph over the darker side of nature.

The campaign has made remarkable progress, reducing polio cases from 350,000 a year to fewer than 1,000 in just over 15 years. Yet, as The Last Child shows, health workers face major obstacles in defeating the virus once-and-for-all. Some communities are refusing polio immunizations. The vaccine is developing dangerous mutations. And some experts now question whether polio can ever be eradicated. But the cost of failure would be staggering. If the campaign loses steam and immunization rates drop, polio could quickly re-emerge and threaten a whole new generation of children, even in places that have long been polio-free.

Halima Begum (right) and her mother outside their home in Dakha, Bangladesh. ©CARE

Highlights of this one-hour film include:

• Overcoming community fear and suspicion during immunization campaigns in India.
• Containing an outbreak in Nigeria by searching for elusive nomadic tribes that have been repeatedly missed by vaccinators.
• Navigating the war-ravaged landscapes of Angola and Somalia to reach every child for immunization.
• Combating a vaccine-related outbreak in Haiti - a development that adds more urgency to finishing the polio eradication campaign.

Finally, The Last Child captures the human face of a terrifying disease and looks at the larger implications of this massive endeavor. If we can rid the world of polio, the campaign will guide and inspire other public health initiatives. But if we can't conquer the virus, a haunting question remains: What are our chances against more complex health threats like HIV and other emerging diseases?

Click here to learn how you can see the film!