Polio Eradication Efforts Face Challenges as Outbreaks Continue

Strategic Insights -

Polio, a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that mainly affects children under 5, continues to spread in a few countries despite a decades-long effort by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners to eradicate it. The WHO and partners aim to wipe out polio by 2026, but stopping outbreaks requires vaccinating at least 95% of the population, including in conflict-ridden areas and regions with poor health systems. The recent polio infection in a child in the UK is the first time the disease has been present in more than 25 years.

Key Takeaways:

  • Polio has existed for centuries, with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics showing children with limbs characteristic of polio victims.
  • Before the first vaccine was developed in the 1950s, polio was among the most feared diseases, with outbreaks in the US killing over 2,000 and 3,000 people in 1916 and 1952, respectively.
  • The WHO passed a resolution to eradicate polio in 1988, with the original target being to wipe out the disease by 2000.
  • Polio cases have dropped by more than 99% since the Immunization campaign started, but Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only countries where the spread of polio has never been stopped.
  • The oral vaccine is the most effective tool in preventing the spread of polio, but in rare cases, it can cause the disease in unvaccinated people.
  • The main challenge in eradicating polio is the need for perfection in vaccination coverage, particularly in conflict-ridden areas and regions with poor health systems.
  • The WHO and partners aim to wipe out polio by 2026, but the goal is deemed "extraordinarily difficult" due to the challenges in achieving high vaccination coverage.
  • Polio causes paralysis of the legs in 1 in 200 cases and can lead to permanent paralysis, with up to 10% of paralyzed children dying due to respiratory failure.

Statistics:

  • Over 2,000 people died in the 1916 New York outbreak.
  • Over 3,000 people died in the 1952 US outbreak.
  • Polio cases have dropped by more than 99% since the Immunization campaign started.
  • The oral vaccine is cheap, easy to use, and is better at preventing the spread of polio, but contains a weakened, live polio virus that in rare cases can cause the disease in unvaccinated people.
  • 95% vaccination coverage is required to stop polio outbreaks in a region.
  • 1 in 200 polio cases results in permanent paralysis of the legs.
  • Up to 10% of paralyzed children die due to respiratory failure.

Sources:

  • The Associated Press
  • World Health Organization (WHO)
  • U.N. agency
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  • UNICEF
  • Rotary International
  • Columbia University professor Scott Barrett