Poliovirus Identified in 38 Countries

When the polio eradication campaign was launched in 1988, the ambitious goal was to eliminate the disease by 2000. Despite the campaign's remarkable progress, polio remains a global health challenge in 2025.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), polio remains a global health concern in May 2025.

The WHO says there is no cure for polio, and infection prevention through vaccination is the best protection available. 

Polio paralysis is caused by a human enterovirus called the wild poliovirus. However, less than 1% of wild poliovirus infections result in paralysis.

An article published in Clinical Infectious Diseases on May 21, 2025, says one significant misstep of the polio vaccination was the transition from the trivalent oral polio vaccine (OPV) to the bivalent OPV, which excluded the type 2 vaccine. 

This switch occurred after the eradication of wild-type 2 poliovirus was declared in 2015.

This change was made to curb the emergence of circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV), which occur when the weakened virus in the vaccine mutates back to virulence and spreads in under-immunized populations.

Contrary to the optimistic modeling predictions, the exclusion of type 2 vaccine led to a dramatic increase in cVDPV cases, skyrocketing from just 6 cases in 2016 to more than 1,000 cases 3 years later, with more than 3,300 children paralyzed since the switch in 43 countries.

These researchers believe that the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) must be an essential part of polio eradication campaigns in the future.

Today, the U.S. CDC is partnering with other agencies through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) to help eradicate polio globally. Last week, the GPEI reported that Germany, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, and Sudan confirmed cVDPV2-positive environmental samples and human infection.

As of April 2025, the CDC identified 38 countries reporting poliovirus detections.

In the U.S., vaccinations with the IPV are standard with the CDC's schedules, including a booster dose for certain people visiting poliovirus outbreak areas in 2025.

'Before any international travel, make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccines,' says the CDC.

As of May 25, 2025, polio vaccination services are offered at clinics and pharmacies nationwide.