In 1988, the world committed to eradicating wild polio. Today, 5 out of 6 WHO regions are certified free of wild polio, including the WHO European Region, which was declared polio free in 2002. Only 2 remaining countries in the world have endemic circulation of wild poliovirus. In addition, 2 of the 3 types of wild poliovirus have been eradicated.
But amid this incredible progress, challenges to reach every child have persisted in all regions and been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many countries in the European Region and around the world have reported dips in routine immunization coverage as health care and immunization systems have been stretched to accommodate surges in COVID-19 infections and vaccination rollout. Any decrease or gap in routine coverage creates opportunities for vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio, to spread among the unvaccinated.
On World Polio Day (24 October), WHO and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, an alliance of key partners and stakeholders, call on countries and parents to stay vigilant in the fight against this disease. As the COVID-19 pandemic clearly demonstrates, diseases do not stop at borders, and as long as polio exists somewhere in the world, we have to continue vaccinating everywhere.
Holding the line
To sustain the European Region’s polio-free status, it is vital to vaccinate all children according to national routine immunization schedules and to quickly detect any importation or possible emergence of a vaccine-derived strain of the virus. If a case is detected, immediate action must be taken to prevent further transmission.