10 facts on polio eradication

Updated April 2017

Polio was once a disease feared worldwide, striking suddenly and paralysing mainly children for life. WHO is a partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the largest private-public partnership for health, which has reduced polio by 99%. Polio now survives only among the world's poorest and most marginalized communities, where it stalks the most vulnerable children. The Initiative's goal is to reach every last child with polio vaccine and ensure a polio-free world for future generations.

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A mother with his young son in Dhaka, Pakistan
WHO

Fact 1: Polio continues to paralyse children

While polio is a distant memory in most of the world, the disease still exists in some places and mainly affects children under 5. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs). Among those paralysed, 5% to 10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized.
Mother holds her son's head to have his mouth open as a health worker drops vaccine against polio, in Laos
WHO/R. Tangermann

Fact 2: We are 99% of the way to eradicating polio globally

When the Global Polio Eradication Initiative was formed, polio paralysed more than 350 000 people a year. Since that time, polio case numbers have decreased by more than 99%. More than 16 million people have been saved from paralysis because of vaccination efforts against polio.
Father holds his child as he opens his mouth for polio vaccine drops
WHO

Fact 3: There are just 3 countries which have never stopped transmission of polio

The 3 countries are Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. They face a range of challenges such as insecurity, weak health systems and poor sanitation. Polio can spread from these 'endemic' countries to infect children in other countries with less-than-adequate vaccination.
A health worker in Kenya showing polio vaccine at a meeting
WHO

Fact 4: Unlike most diseases, polio can be completely eradicated

There are 3 strains of wild poliovirus, none of which can survive for long periods outside of the human body. If the virus cannot find an unvaccinated person to infect, it will die out. Type 2 wild poliovirus was eradicated in 1999 and cases of type 3 wild poliovirus haven’t been found anywhere in the world since 2012.
A health care worker administers drops against polio in a village in Nigeria
WHO/T. Moran

Fact 5: Cheap and effective vaccines are available to prevent polio

There are 2 forms of vaccine available to ward off polio - oral polio vaccine (OPV) and inactivated polio vaccine (IPV). Because OPV is an oral vaccine, it can be administered by anyone, even volunteers. One dose of OPV can cost as little as 14 US cents.
A health worker works on a map on a wall to trace polio vaccination process in Tilaberi, Niger
WHO/H. Everts

Fact 6: The global effort to eradicate polio is the largest public-private partnership for public health

In fact, it is the largest-ever internationally-coordinated public health effort in history. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is led by national governments with five partners - WHO, Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Underpinning the effort is a global network of more than 20 million volunteers worldwide who have collectively immunized nearly 3 billion children over the past 20 years.
A boy in India looks up as a health worker drops polio vaccine
Rotary International

Fact 7: Large-scale vaccination rounds help rapidly boost immunity

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative assists countries in carrying out surveillance for polio and large-scale vaccination rounds. When India was still polio-endemic, there were 640 000 vaccination booths, 2.3 million vaccinators, 200 million doses of vaccine, 6.3 million ice packs, 191 million homes visited and 172 million children immunized: all this in just one round of the national immunization days.
A boy with acute paralysis, caused by polio
WHO/T. Moran

Fact 8: Every child must be vaccinated to eradicate polio

This includes those living in the most remote and underserved places on the planet. To get each vaccine safely to children everywhere, all manner of transport is used – from donkeys to motorbikes to helicopters – to reach those living in remote areas, in conflict zones or difficult terrain.
A boy has polio vaccine dropped in his mouth in Afghanistan
WHO/T. Moran

Fact 9: Polio-funded staff, strategies and resources are also used to advance other health initiatives such as routine immunization

Strategies to find and map every child can be applied to other public health initiatives such as routine immunization. While a vaccination team is in a remote village, they can, for little additional cost, provide other health interventions while they are there. For example, vitamin A has been given alongside polio campaigns. Since vitamin A gives a general boost to immunity, it allows children to fend off a range of infections, this has averted more than 1.5 million deaths.
Two boys on the street, next to a river, in Nepal
WHO/H. Hernandez

Fact 10: We can eradicate polio

In 2011, this little girl, Rukhsar Khatoon, was the last child to be paralysed by polio in India. The WHO South East Asia Region was declared polio-free in 2014, marking a significant leap forward in global eradication, with 80% of the world’s population now living in certified polio-free regions. The world can be freed of the threat of polio - with everyone's commitment, from parent to government worker and political leader to the international community.

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