World Polio Day

-Automatic translation

Polio is a highly infectious viral disease. The virus is transmitted from person to person, mainly by the faecal-oral route or by spraying, as in sneezing, but less commonly through contaminated water or food. The virus multiplies in the intestine and can invade the nervous system and cause paralysis. Those at highest risk of contracting the disease are newborns, children under five years of age and unvaccinated individuals. There is no treatment or medication to cure the disease.

Since the introduction of vaccination against the disease in 1955, considerable progress has been made, and the disease has almost been eradicated worldwide. However, polio still threatens young children in poorer countries where access to vaccines is limited.

In 1988, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution on eradicating polio worldwide, launching the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, led by the authorities of each country, WHO, Rotary, the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) and UNICEF.

The number of cases from the so-called wild-type poliovirus (WPV) has declined by 99% since 1988, from an estimated 350,000 cases in about 125 endemic countries to 6 reported cases worldwide in 2021. The last case of wild-type poliovirus in Europe was detected in 1998. Of the three strains of wild-type polio, type 2 was eradicated in 1999, and wild-type polio three was eradicated in 2020. In 2022, wild poliovirus type 1 is still endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Vaccination is effective in preventing the disease in young children. It is essential to start vaccinating young children because the disease is most dangerous for the youngest children. In Iceland, children are vaccinated during the first year of life and revaccinated at the age of 14. The vaccine does not protect for more than ten years, so there is a chance of getting infected later in life. It is recommended that adults get vaccinated against polio every ten years if they travel to countries with a risk of infection (Icelandic).

See more on polio on the Directorate of Health's website and WHO

The Chief Epidemiologist