Global Polio Emergency Continues as Countries Step Up Vaccination and Surveillance Efforts

Geneva, August 28, 2026: The international effort to eradicate polio remains under intense pressure as poliovirus transmission continues in parts of Asia and Africa, prompting the World Health Organization to maintain temporary measures designed to reduce the risk of international spread.

At the same time, several African countries have achieved important progress by interrupting local transmission, demonstrating that sustained vaccination, disease surveillance and rapid response can push outbreaks back.

The latest developments present a mixed picture: polio remains a global public-health concern, but significant advances are still being made toward eventual eradication.

WHO Maintains International Emergency Status

The WHO’s Polio International Health Regulations Emergency Committee met for its 45th session and reviewed the latest epidemiological situation involving wild poliovirus type 1 and circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses.

Following the assessment, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus endorsed continued temporary recommendations intended to reduce the possibility of poliovirus spreading internationally. The measures took effect on August 21, 2026.

The international emergency status reflects the continuing possibility that poliovirus can move from areas with active transmission into countries where vaccination coverage is insufficient.

Afghanistan and Pakistan Remain Central to the Wild-Polio Fight

Wild poliovirus type 1 remains endemic in only two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Since the previous emergency committee meeting, 16 new WPV1 cases were reported from the two countries, according to WHO. Four WPV1 cases have been reported so far in 2026—three in Afghanistan and one in Pakistan.

The continuing transmission means eradication efforts remain heavily focused on reaching children who have missed routine or campaign vaccinations.

Remote communities, population movement and difficult access to some areas continue to complicate vaccination programmes.

Africa Records Important Victories

While wild poliovirus remains concentrated in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Africa has made notable progress against vaccine-derived poliovirus outbreaks.

In August, WHO confirmed that Burundi, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, the Republic of Congo and Uganda had successfully stopped transmission of poliovirus type 2 outbreaks.

Independent assessments conducted between January and June reviewed surveillance systems, laboratory evidence and epidemiological information before determining that transmission had been interrupted.

The closures demonstrate the value of combining vaccination campaigns with strong disease monitoring.

Why Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus Exists

The term “vaccine-derived” can be confusing.

Oral polio vaccines contain weakened virus that helps stimulate immunity. In communities where vaccination coverage is very low, the weakened virus can circulate for a prolonged period and, over time, undergo genetic changes.

In rare circumstances, it can regain the ability to cause paralysis and generate a circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus outbreak.

This is not evidence that vaccination itself is broadly unsafe. Instead, it highlights the importance of achieving sufficiently high vaccination coverage so the weakened virus cannot continue circulating.

Vaccination Remains the Most Powerful Tool

Polio has no cure once paralysis develops.

Vaccination is therefore the central tool for preventing the disease.

WHO says polio vaccines are effective and can provide lifelong protection when administered according to recommended schedules.

Repeated vaccination campaigns are particularly important in places where children may miss routine immunization because of conflict, displacement, poverty or limited access to healthcare.

Surveillance Is Just as Important

Vaccinating children is only one part of eradication.

Health authorities also search for poliovirus through environmental surveillance, particularly by testing wastewater and sewage samples.

This can reveal the presence of poliovirus even when no child has yet been diagnosed with paralysis.

Such surveillance gives health officials an opportunity to investigate transmission and conduct vaccination campaigns before the virus spreads further.

Funding Pressures Create a New Challenge

The global eradication campaign is also facing financial constraints.

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative has developed a 2026 action plan designed to maintain essential activities while using available resources more efficiently.

Health officials have emphasized that protecting previous gains requires continued political commitment and domestic investment.

A reduction in vaccination or surveillance activities could allow poliovirus to return to areas where transmission has already been stopped.

Africa Adopts a Long-Term Strategy

African health ministers and senior representatives recently adopted a 2026–2035 framework designed to protect the continent’s progress toward a polio-free future.

The framework focuses on sustaining eradication gains while integrating polio-related systems into broader national health programmes.

This approach is intended to ensure that surveillance and immunization capacity remain useful even after individual polio outbreaks have ended.

The Danger of Losing Momentum

Polio is an unusual disease from an eradication perspective because humans are its only known reservoir.

That means global eradication is theoretically achievable.

However, as long as poliovirus continues circulating anywhere, countries that have eliminated the disease can remain vulnerable to reintroduction.

A decline in vaccination coverage can therefore reverse years of progress.

This is why international health authorities continue to treat poliovirus transmission as a global emergency.

Children Remain the Most Vulnerable

Polio primarily affects children under five, although unvaccinated people of any age can become infected.

Many infections cause no obvious symptoms, allowing the virus to circulate silently.

In a small proportion of infections, the virus attacks the nervous system and can cause permanent paralysis.

Among people who develop paralysis, some die when the muscles needed for breathing become affected.

The absence of symptoms in many infections makes surveillance particularly important.

International Cooperation Is Essential

Poliovirus does not respect national borders.

People frequently cross borders for work, trade, education, family visits and migration.

Consequently, vaccination and surveillance programmes must operate across neighbouring countries rather than stopping at national boundaries.

WHO’s temporary recommendations are intended to reduce this international transmission risk.

A Mixed Picture for Eradication

The latest developments reveal both progress and danger.

On one side, five African countries have successfully closed type 2 polio outbreaks, while African governments are developing longer-term strategies to preserve those achievements.

On the other, wild poliovirus continues to circulate in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and vaccine-derived outbreaks remain a concern in several countries.

The global campaign has therefore entered a critical phase in which maintaining momentum may be as important as achieving new breakthroughs.

What Happens Next?

Health authorities will continue focusing on vaccination, laboratory testing, environmental surveillance and rapid outbreak response.

Afghanistan and Pakistan remain central to efforts to eliminate the last remaining endemic wild poliovirus transmission.

Meanwhile, countries that have recently stopped outbreaks must maintain high immunization coverage to prevent the virus from returning.

The ultimate objective remains unchanged: a world in which no child is ever paralyzed by poliovirus.

The latest WHO decision shows that the world is not yet at that point.

But the progress achieved in several African countries demonstrates that eradication remains possible when governments, health workers, communities and international organizations maintain a coordinated effort.

Note: Poliovirus surveillance data are updated regularly, and case totals can change as laboratory investigations and reporting systems are updated.