The Ledger · Entry 06
Polio has been pushed to the edge of extinction
Reported paralytic polio cases worldwide
Data: Our World in Data, based on WHO and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative
Polio paralyses, mostly in young children, and there is no cure. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative began mass immunisation in 1988 and has chased the virus into an ever smaller corner of the map.
The key rows
The last stretch is fought in a few insecure regions where reaching every child is dangerous. The disease is not gone, but it is closer to gone than at any time in history.
Asked often
Is polio almost eradicated?
Nearly. Reported paralytic polio cases fell from a peak of 65,737 in 1981 to 536 in 2023. The wild virus now circulates in only a small number of areas.
When did polio eradication efforts start?
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative launched mass immunisation in 1988, when 34,617 cases were reported. Cases have fallen by more than ninety-eight percent since.
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