World Polio Day is commemorated on October 24th every year to raise awareness of the importance of polio vaccination to protect every child from this disease and to celebrate the efforts of professionals, volunteers, and parents to achieve polio eradication.
Polio is a highly contagious disease caused by the polio virus. One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis, and among those paralyzed, 5–10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized. Polio has no cure, but it can be prevented with vaccination, and it is considered that a fully immunized population is protected against both vaccine-derived and wild polioviruses.
Since 1988, polio vaccines have led to a 99% decrease in cases and prevented an estimated 20 million cases of paralysis in children. But amid this incredible progress, challenges to reach every child have persisted on all continents and further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many countries worldwide reported dips in routine immunization coverage as healthcare and immunization systems were 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. Additionally, challenges to reach every child have persisted when health care and immunization systems have been stretched by war conflicts and related difficulties in at least opening humanitarian spaces.
Join ISID in this global commemoration calling to sustain high vaccination coverage and strengthen surveillance to keep communities safe from the risk of a possible event or outbreak.