Polio Eradication Efforts Continue Amid Challenges in Some Countries

Polio, one of the world's most infectious diseases, has been largely eliminated due to efforts by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its partners. However, it still persists in a few countries. The WHO aims to eradicate polio globally within the next few years. Until then, outbreaks will continue in areas where children are not fully vaccinated.

What is Polio?

Polio is a viral infection that primarily affects children under five. Most infected individuals show no symptoms, but it can cause fever, headaches, vomiting, and spinal stiffness. In severe cases, it can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis within hours. According to WHO, 1 in 200 polio cases results in permanent paralysis, usually of the legs. Among those paralysed, up to 10% die when their breathing muscles are affected.

The virus spreads from person to person through the mouth, often via contact with waste from an infected individual or contaminated water or food. The recent case of polio in an unvaccinated baby in Gaza marks the first instance of the disease in the territory in over 25 years.

Historical Impact of Polio

Polio has been a significant health issue for centuries. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics depict children with canes and wasted limbs typical of polio victims. Before vaccines were developed in the 1950s, polio was highly feared. A 1916 outbreak in New York killed over 2,000 people, and the worst recorded US outbreak in 1952 resulted in more than 3,000 deaths. Survivors often faced lifelong consequences such as paralysis and deformed limbs. Some required "iron lung" chambers to breathe due to paralysed breathing muscles.

Eradication Efforts

In 1988, WHO resolved to eradicate polio following the successful elimination of smallpox eight years earlier. Their initial goal was to eliminate polio by 2000. Along with partners like the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF, and Rotary International, WHO increased oral vaccine production and launched widespread immunisation campaigns. These efforts reduced polio cases by over 99%.

Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only countries where polio transmission has never been halted. Additionally, there are outbreaks in more than a dozen other countries, mainly in Africa. WHO now aims to eradicate polio by 2026.

Challenges in Eradication

Eradicating polio is extraordinarily challenging. It requires vaccinating at least 95% of the population everywhere, including conflict zones and impoverished regions with inadequate health systems. The oral vaccine is cost-effective and easy to administer but contains a weakened live virus that can rarely spread and cause polio in unvaccinated individuals. In even rarer cases, this live virus can mutate into a form capable of causing new outbreaks.

Health authorities have made strides in reducing wild polio virus cases. However, vaccine-related cases now account for most infections worldwide. "The problem with trying to eradicate polio is that the need for perfection is so great and there are so many weak links," said Scott Barrett, a Columbia University professor who has studied polio eradication. "The technical feasibility is there, but we live in a vastly imperfect world."

Efforts continue globally to ensure that every child receives vaccination against this debilitating disease until it is completely eradicated from our planet.