WASHINGTON: The war on polio is being fought on many fronts in the developing world — in the deserts of Sudan, the jungles of Congo, the slums of India and Pakistan.

Veteran Brazilian photojournalist Sebastiao Salgado was there to document the epic public health effort that has already saved five million children from the crippling disease.

In his trademark gritty, black-and-white photos, he has shown how an army of health workers across the Third World have battled to drive the dreaded virus to the brink of extinction.

That goal is now within reach. From 350,000 cases worldwide in 1988, the number of polio patients dropped below 500 last year.

Like an early celebration of the eagerly awaited public health triumph, Salgado’s stark, confronting images are now on display in Washington, D.C.

Other photos Salgado took in five poor nations in Africa and Asia last year show some of the 20 million people alive today for whom the vaccine came too late. They are paralyzed for life.

They depict New Delhi children doing yoga to exercise their limbs and young Nigerian men playing soccer with their hands, moving around on crude wheeled boards.

The pictures can be seen at www.endofpolio.org. Salgado’s website is www.amazonasimages.com.—dpa