World Polio Day 2023

Updated October 4, 2023World Polio Day\u202f (October 24) provides an opportunity to highlight global efforts toward a polio-free world and honor the tireless contributions of those on the frontlines in the fight to eradicate polio from every corner of the globe. Through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), CDC works with partners to eradicate polio and end the suffering from this devastating disease.It\u2019s Time to Make Polio HistoryIn 1988, poliovirus was present in 125 countries, paralyzing an estimated 1,000 children per day. That year, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) launched, with a goal of eradicating polio worldwide.Over the past 35 years, GPEI has made remarkable progress towards this goal. Cases of wild poliovirus have decreased by more than 99% \u2013 from 350,000 cases per year to fewer than 10 annual cases of wild polio. The disease remains consistently present in just two countries \u2013 Afghanistan and Pakistan.But challenges remain. As long as wild poliovirus continues to circulate in Afghanistan and Pakistan, all countries are at risk of wild poliovirus being imported. Outbreaks of poliovirus variants \u2013 which emerge when not enough children are vaccinated against polio \u2013 present an additional and pressing challenge in multiple countries.On World Polio Day, CDC commemorates this progress and joins its GPEI partners in the call to overcome the barriers to Make Polio History once and for all