The eradication of infectious diseases is one of the key objectives of WHO. Unfortunately, despite several decades of intense efforts, today we can claim we eradicated only smallpox.

The next disease candidate to global eradication is polio: the past 3 years have seen remarkable developments in this effort. In 2019, global eradication of type 3 poliovirus was declared. In 2020, Africa was classified as free from endemic polio. Wild poliovirus was confined to pockets of Afghanistan and Pakistan. But optimism is receding. Polio has returned to many parts of the world, and the upcoming replenishment to fund the eradication initiative comes amid geopolitical crises and global economic difficulties. The final stages of eradication have long been stuttering. Will 2022 be the year it finally slips away?

The low vaccination rate is responsible for a recent outbreak of polio in the New York area, and Poliovirus has now been detected in sewage samples from four counties in the New York metro area as well as in the city itself. The polio vaccination rate is alarmingly low at 60% in Rockland, 58% in Orange, 62% in Sullivan and 79% in Nassau. The goal of the vaccination campaign is to boost immunization rates well above 90% state-wide.

As The Lancet editorial states, “The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has done indisputable good. Since its launch in 1988, it has overseen a 99·9% reduction in the global incidence of polio, saved more than 1·5 million lives, and spared an estimated 16 million people from paralysis. Two of the three serotypes of wild poliovirus (types 2 and 3) have been certified as eradicated worldwide. These are huge achievements. But the GPEI faces clear challenges that once again threaten the viability of the eradication program. One thing is certain: a global resurgence of polio would be disastrous for health.”1

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References

  1. Lancet, T. (2022, October 1). Polio eradication: falling at the final hurdle? The Lancet. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)01875-X/fulltext

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