Polio Eradication Goals Delayed

The steady progress towards a polio-free world has been successful for over three and a half decades. According to a recent announcement, the achievement of this goal has been delayed.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) announced on October 17, 2024, that billions of children have been protected with lifesaving immunizations. More than 20 million people are walking who would otherwise have been paralyzed by this dreadful disease.

The polio program is now concentrated in some of the most complicated and fragile settings to deliver essential healthcare.

Recognizing these challenges, the GPEI’s Polio Oversight Board decided in July 2024 to extend the timelines needed to achieve polio eradication to the end of 2027 for wild poliovirus.

And the end of 2029 for type 2 variant poliovirus.

The Board's decision was informed by critical analysis and expert consultations, and extended timelines require additional financial resources to support ongoing eradication activities. 

These shifts are being driven by partners' expertise and a program-wide commitment to double down on the toughest but most critical challenges standing between us and a future without polio, wrote the GPEI.

On October 17, 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported poliovirus outbreaks that had caused 672 confirmed polio cases over the past year and a half.

The CDC also reissued a Global Travel Health Notice in August 2024 to alert international travelers, confirming 37 countries report poliovirus detections. People are encouraged to speak with a travel vaccine expert at least one month before visiting any of these countries about immunization options.