World Polio Day will be observed around the world on 24 October 2024, with the goal of raising awareness of the disease poliomyelitis (polio) and the need for vaccination. Polio, an infectious disease that can lead to paralysis and even death, has been almost completely eradicated in most countries by global vaccination campaigns. Despite enormous progress, the virus is still endemic in a few regions of the world. World Polio Day is a reminder that eradication of the disease will only be possible if polio vaccinations continue to be administered consistently.
Before vaccinations were implemented, wild polioviruses were widespread globally. Vaccines were made available in the 1950s. Since then, worldwide vaccination campaigns have led to the elimination of the disease in many regions. In 1988, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Global Poliomyelitis Eradication Initiative (GPEI) with the aim of completely eradicating poliomyelitis. According to WHO, cases caused by the wild poliovirus have since decreased by over 99%, from an estimated 350,000 cases per year in more than 125 endemic countries to just a limited number of cases in a few countries. The GPEI continues to work intensively to combat the very last polio cases in order to finally eradicate the disease. World Polio Day is a reminder that vaccinations are still essential to achieve the goal of eradication.
The Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI), the Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedicines, is responsible for the evaluation, marketing authorisation and monitoring of the safety of vaccines, including polio vaccines, in Germany. Only polio vaccines that contain killed polioviruses (inactivated polio vaccines, IPVs) are used in the EU. Oral polio vaccines (OPVs) containing live attenuated polioviruses have not been used in Germany since 1998, as cases of vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP) have occasionally occurred in connection with the live polio vaccine. According to the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Vaccination (Ständige Impfkommission, STIKO) at the Robert Koch-Institut (RKI), primary vaccination with three vaccine doses in early childhood and a later booster vaccination are required to achieve protection against polio. Primary vaccination is usually carried out with a combination vaccine, which also protects against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis), Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type B), and hepatitis B. IPV vaccination reliably protects the vaccinated person against polio. Minimising the risk of spreading wild polioviruses through channels such as international travel requires maintaining high vaccination rates and careful monitoring in polio-free regions until the poliovirus is completely eradicated worldwide.
Updated: 24.10.2024
