Polio Update Report
In 1979, when most of the world's children were unvaccinated against polio, Rotary took on the cause of eliminating the crippling disease by universally vaccinating every child. Today, with more than 2.5 billion children worldwide vaccinated and immune from polio, new cases have be reduced to a few per year and contained to two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan.02-September-2026, World Health Organization
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New wild poliovirus isolates reported this week: New cVDPV poliovirus isolates reported this week: High-level polio delegation visits Chad as President Déby is named champion for polio eradication and immunization A high-level delegation of global polio and immunization partners met with Chadian authorities this week, including President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno, to advance political commitment and regional cooperation for polio eradication and stronger immunization in Chad and across the Lake Chad Basin. The visit was marked by the designation of President Déby as Regional Champion for Polio Eradication and Immunization in the Lake Chad Basin, recognizing Chad’s important role in driving collective action across the region. In this role, President Déby will help keep polio eradication and immunization high on the regional agenda, promote stronger cooperation among countries and advocate for sustained action to reach every child, including those living in border areas and among mobile, displaced and underserved communities.
African Health Ministers adopt framework to safeguard Africa’s polio gains African ministers of health and high-level representatives last week adopted a ten-year plan to sustain polio eradication efforts by strengthening national health systems and reaffirmed commitment to protect decades of investment towards a polio-free continent. The Framework for Polio Transition and Sustainability in the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region 2026–2035 was adopted during the Seventy-sixth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 25–28 August 2026. More.
SAGE Polio Working Group advocates for increased IPV use in high-risk and outbreak settings Last week, the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunization (SAGE) Polio Working Group convened to take stock of progress toward eradication and to examine additional strategy interventions to help accelerate and sustain eradication. Discussions in particular focused on adding a third dose of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) to routine immunization schedules in high-risk countries, and a second dose of fractional IPV (fIPV) for outbreak response in those instances when circulation continues beyond six months, despite multiple vaccination campaigns. Experience from key outbreak countries suggests adding the second fIPV dose to OPV response significantly accelerates the stopping of outbreaks.
Latest IHR Emergency Committee report published The latest report by the IHR Emergency Committee on the international spread of poliovirus has been published, following the Committee’s recent meeting. The effort to eradicate polio remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), and Temporary Recommendations associated with the PHEIC are extended.
Summary of new polioviruses this week: · Pakistan: six WPV1-positive environmental samples · DR Congo : eight cVDPV2 cases · Mali : one cVDPV2 case · Nigeria : two cVDPV3 cases · South Sudan : one cVDPV1 case and three cVDPV2 cases
Officially reported WPV1 and cVDPV cases as of 01 September 2026 Wild poliovirus (WPV) · Total global WPV1 cases in 2025: 52 · Total global WPV1: cases in 2026: 22 (compared with 28 for the same period in 2025)
· Total global cVDPV cases in 2025: 246 · Total global cVDPV cases in 2026: 145 (compared with 134 for the same period in 2025) |
https://polioeradication.org/ for more information