GENEVA – The World Health Organization (WHO) and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) issued a powerful call to action on World Polio Day (October 24), urging the global community to “finish the job” and consign the crippling disease to history.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that the world is on the cusp of an unprecedented public health victory, having reduced wild poliovirus cases by over 99% since the GPEI was launched in 1988.
“Decades ago, the world overcame geopolitical and geographic barriers to end smallpox. Let’s do the same for polio. Let’s finish the job,” said Dr. Tedros.
Final Hurdles and Remaining Cases
While the progress is monumental—with annual global cases dropping from an estimated 350,000 in 1988 to fewer than 50 in 2025—the final stages of eradication remain the most challenging.
As of late 2025, wild poliovirus remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The latest data from GPEI shows:
- Pakistan has reported 30 cases of wild poliovirus in 2025.
- Afghanistan has reported 9 cases of wild poliovirus in 2025.
The vast majority of remaining cases are concentrated in the cross-border regions between the two countries, where security challenges, population movement, and, in some areas of Afghanistan, bans on house-to-house vaccination campaigns continue to leave children unprotected. The WHO estimates that over one million children in southern Afghanistan have been missed by campaigns since 2018.
Funding Gaps Threaten Progress
The WHO warned that global funding shortfalls pose a severe threat to the final push. Despite the success seen to date, the GPEI faces significant budget cuts for next year, which could jeopardize the hard-won gains and risk a global resurgence of the virus.
In response to the funding crisis, the Mohamed bin Zayed Foundation for Humanity has announced it will host a major global donor pledging event in Abu Dhabi on December 8, seeking to secure the financial resources needed to implement the GPEI’s new action plan.
Dr. Catharina Boehme, who heads the WHO in Southeast Asia, joined the call for renewed commitment, urging member states to step up funding, recommit to immunization campaigns, and invest in robust surveillance and health systems to “build a healthier and more resilient future for all.”
The message on World Polio Day is clear: with only two countries remaining endemic and the number of cases at an historic low, sustained political will, community engagement, and full funding are essential to ensure polio becomes only the second human disease, after smallpox, to be fully eradicated.
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