This Year's Theme: Delivering on a Promise
World Polio Day (October 24) provides an opportunity to highlight global efforts toward a polio-free world and honor the tireless contributions of those on the frontlines in the fight to eradicate polio from every corner of the globe. Through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), CDC works with partners to eradicate polio and end the suffering from this devastating disease.
Delivering on a Promise
In June of 2021, the GPEI launched the Polio Eradication Strategy 2022 – 2026 to deliver on a promise made 33 years ago at the 41st World Health Assembly. Since the declaration to eradicate polio was adopted in 1988, billions of children have received the gift of a polio-free life. The world has achieved a 99.9% reduction in wild poliovirus transmission and elimination in 5 of 6 WHO regions, yet persistent challenges remain to end all forms of polio.
The updated GPEI strategy outlines a coordinated approach to:
- interrupt wild poliovirus type 1 transmission in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the remaining two endemic countries, and
- stop outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPVs), which can occur in under- or unimmunized communities.
The 5-year strategy elevates efforts in the highest-risk countries and promotes health service integration, surveillance improvement, and community engagement to enhance campaign quality.