POLIO IN NUMBERS

2023

Global Totals as of 31 Oct 2023

2022

Global Totals as of 31 Dec 2022

Wild Poliovirus

Circulating Vaccine Derived Poliovirus

Wild Poliovirus

Circulating Vaccine Derived Poliovirus

Breakdown by country Polio this week

Endemic Countries

In Pakistan, the GPEI is working closely with the government to ensure that polio eradication remains a top priority. Each National Immunization Day, more than 285,000 health workers attempt to vaccinate over 40 million children. To better reach high-risk populations, the program recruits polio workers from the same communities affected by polio and is expanding its integration with other essential health services. The country’s vast environmental surveillance network — the largest of its kind with 65 sites strategically located in 44 districts across the country — continues to expand to ensure it can accurately track any incidence of wild polio.

In Afghanistan, persistent access issues have created immunity gaps amid current insecurity and a broader economic and humanitarian crisis. The resumption of regular vaccination campaigns in late 2021, including in parts of the country that were inaccessible for more than three and a half years, has provided a significant opportunity to reach more children with vaccines. However, the broader health system remains vulnerable. The GPEI is implementing interventions to improve surveillance and access in hard to-reach areas, including engagement with religious and community leaders to encourage vaccine acceptance and coordination with Pakistan to synchronize campaigns and reach mobile populations across the transnational border

WHAT IS POLIO?

The Disease

Poliomyelitis is a highly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5.

Most know it as poliovirus. The virus is spread person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can attack the nervous system, and in some instances, lead to paralysis. Although there is no cure, there is a safe and effective vaccine – one which Rotary and our partners use to immunize over 3 billion children worldwide.