Polio vaccination still matters because the disease is nearly, but not completely, gone. Wild poliovirus cases have fallen by more than 99 per cent since 1988, yet while a single child anywhere remains infected, children in every country are at risk. Because there is no cure for polio, vaccination remains the only reliable protection.
On World Polio Day, asking why is polio vaccination still important is a fair question, especially in Britain, where the last wild case was confirmed in 1984. The answer lies in unfinished eradication, real importations, and the simple fact that a vaccine protects only the children who actually receive it.
What polio does to the body
Polio is a highly infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. It can invade the nervous system and cause total paralysis within hours, according to the World Health Organization. It spreads from person to person, mainly through the faecal-oral route.
The early symptoms are easy to dismiss: fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs. Most infections cause no symptoms at all. But around 1 in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis, usually in the legs, and among those who are paralysed, 5 to 10 per cent die when their breathing muscles become immobilised.
The disease mainly affects children under five. There is no cure for polio. It can only be prevented, and that prevention is the vaccine.
How close the world has come to ending it
The first vaccines were developed in the 1950s and 1960s: Jonas Salk’s inactivated vaccine in 1955 and Albert Sabin’s oral vaccine in 1962, widely documented milestones that made mass immunisation possible. In 1988 the Global Polio Eradication Initiative was formed, and the push for a polio-free world began in earnest.
Since then, wild poliovirus cases have fallen by more than 99 per cent: from an estimated 350,000 cases in more than 125 endemic countries in 1988, to circulation in just two endemic countries today. The WHO’s polio eradication programme records that more than 16 million people have been saved from paralysis by vaccination.
Two vaccines are in use today: the oral polio vaccine and the inactivated polio vaccine. The WHO states that both are effective and safe, and that the vaccine, given multiple times in childhood, protects a child for life.
Why eradication is not finished
The remaining distance is the hardest. Wild poliovirus type 1 still circulates in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the world’s two endemic countries. Up to 27 September 2026, the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean office recorded 39 wild poliovirus cases this year: 35 in Afghanistan and 4 in Pakistan. In mid-October, Pakistan’s National Emergency Operation Centre reported a seventh 2026 case, a six-month-old child in Karachi East.
The year before was heavier: in 2025 there were 52 cases of wild poliovirus type 1, 21 in Afghanistan and 31 in Pakistan. When the WHO’s polio emergency committee met in August 2026, it concluded that the international spread of poliovirus remains a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
Elsewhere there is genuine progress. The WHO African Region was certified free of indigenous wild poliovirus in 2020, and independent assessments in 2026 confirmed the closure of type 2 outbreaks in Burundi, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, the Republic of Congo and Uganda. Between January and September 2026, more than 168 million children received at least one dose through 55 campaign rounds in 22 countries. Even so, poliovirus type 1 was detected in Madagascar this year, a reminder that the virus exploits any gap (WHO Regional Office for Africa).
As the WHO warned in its archived fact sheet: “As long as a single child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of contracting polio. Failure to eradicate polio from these last remaining strongholds could result in as many as 200,000 new cases every year, within 10 years, all over the world.”
Why it matters in the United Kingdom
Britain’s own history makes the point. The last case of wild polio contracted in the UK was confirmed in 1984, and the UK was declared polio-free by the WHO in 2003. Yet in June 2022, the UK Health Security Agency announced that environmental surveillance had been persistently detecting poliovirus in sewage samples from the London Beckton Sewage Treatment Works since February 2022, and a national enhanced incident response was established.
In August 2022 it was formally confirmed that the UK had circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2, based on detection of the same isolate for more than 60 days. Genetic analysis linked the London virus to poliovirus detected in Israel and the United States, showing how the virus travels with people. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommended booster doses for children aged 1 to 9 across London, and the programme was implemented using the inactivated polio vaccine in 2022 (GOV.UK; Medscape).
No cases of paralysis were reported. The last detection linked to the incident was in sewage collected in London in November 2022, and the WHO removed the UK from its list of polio “infected” countries in December 2023 after 12 months with no detections.
The incident also exposed a coverage gap. According to the UKHSA, vaccination for poliovirus in London stood at about 86.6 per cent overall and 71.4 per cent for the pre-school booster, both below the WHO’s 95 per cent target. As UKHSA consultant epidemiologist Dr Vanessa Saliba said at the time: “we know the areas in London where the poliovirus is being transmitted have some of the lowest vaccination rates. This is why the virus is spreading in these communities and puts those residents not fully vaccinated at greater risk.”
Routine surveillance continues to pick up one-off poliovirus detections in the UK, for example from travellers who were vaccinated overseas with the live oral vaccine and briefly shed traces of it. The system is designed to catch these early. But the 2022 incident showed that when coverage falls short of the target, an imported virus can spread in a British city.
What polio vaccination involves in the UK
In the UK, polio protection comes through the routine childhood programme. The NHS gives polio-containing vaccines at several ages:
- The 6-in-1 vaccine at 8, 12 and 16 weeks, with a fourth dose at 18 months for children born on or after 1 July 2024
- The 4-in-1 pre-school booster at 3 years and 4 months
- The 3-in-1 teenage booster at age 14
The UK uses the inactivated polio vaccine, and the WHO states that both the oral and inactivated vaccines are effective and safe. Given multiple times, the vaccine protects a child for life, so each dose in the schedule has a purpose: building and then maintaining immunity.
If you are unsure whether a child is up to date, the child’s red book or GP practice can confirm the record, and catch-up doses can be arranged. Keeping the whole family current matters beyond polio: you can check who should get the COVID-19 booster this autumn and who is eligible for a free flu jab this winter in our recent guides.
What World Polio Day 2026 is about
World Polio Day is observed every year on 24 October. It was established by Rotary International in honour of Dr Jonas Salk, and the date marks the anniversary of his birth.
Rotary’s message for the 2026 campaign is “One day, one focus: ending polio for good”, a message confirmed in the WHO Regional Director for Africa’s 2026 World Polio Day message. The day combines fundraising with a simple public message: finish the job.
Rotary clubs mark the occasion in visible ways. In the UK this year, clubs have given away purple crocuses, the colour associated with the eradication campaign, and lit churches purple to raise awareness (Rutland and Stamford Sound). Rotary’s own World Polio Day materials also note that donations to its PolioPlus fund are matched two to one by the Gates Foundation, so each gift is effectively tripled (Rotary magazine, October 2026; endpolio.org).
Frequently asked questions
Is polio gone?
No. Wild poliovirus remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and 39 wild poliovirus cases were recorded in 2026 up to 27 September. The WHO African Region was certified free of indigenous wild poliovirus in 2020, but the virus can be imported anywhere, which is why the WHO keeps the international spread of poliovirus as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
Is the polio vaccine safe?
Yes. The World Health Organization states that both polio vaccines in use, the oral polio vaccine and the inactivated polio vaccine, are effective and safe. Given multiple times in childhood, vaccination protects a child for life; Rotary International records that more than 3 billion children have been protected through eradication efforts (rotary.org).
What are the symptoms of polio?
Early symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs. Most infections cause no symptoms at all. Around 1 in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis, usually in the legs, and among those who are paralysed, 5 to 10 per cent die when their breathing muscles become immobilised.
Who should be vaccinated against polio in the UK?
Children should receive the full NHS schedule: the 6-in-1 vaccine at 8, 12 and 16 weeks, the 4-in-1 pre-school booster at 3 years and 4 months, and the 3-in-1 teenage booster at age 14. Children born on or after 1 July 2024 also receive a fourth dose at 18 months. Anyone who missed childhood doses, including adults travelling to countries where polio still circulates, should speak to their GP about catching up.
Can adults catch polio?
Yes. Polio mainly affects children under five, but anyone who is not fully vaccinated can be infected. Most infected people show no symptoms, so unvaccinated adults can pass the virus on without knowing they carry it.
Why vaccinate if there are no polio cases in the UK?
The UK has had no wild polio case since 1984, but the virus can still reach Britain. In 2022, poliovirus was found spreading in London sewage and was linked to viruses found in Israel and the United States, prompting a booster campaign for London children. In parts of London, vaccination coverage sits below the WHO’s 95 per cent target. With no cure for polio, vaccination is the only safeguard.
Sources
- World Health Organization. Poliomyelitis fact sheet. who.int
- World Health Organization. Polio eradication: facts in pictures. who.int
- World Health Organization. Archived polio fact sheet, 2014. web archive
- World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean. Polio eradication. emro.who.int
- National Emergency Operation Centre, Pakistan. Pakistan reports 7th polio case of 2026 in Karachi East. memesita.com
- World Health Organization. Statement of the forty-fifth meeting of the polio IHR Emergency Committee, 25 August 2026. who.int
- World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa. World Polio Day 2026 message from the WHO Regional Director for Africa. afro.who.int
- GOV.UK. Environmental surveillance for polio. gov.uk
- NHS. 6-in-1 vaccine. nhs.uk
- Medscape. Children 1-9 in London to be offered polio vaccine, due to worries over spread. medscape.com
- Rotary. By the numbers: polio in the Rotary magazine for October 2026. a2rotary.org
- End Polio Now. World Polio Day. endpolio.org
- Rotary International. Ending polio. rotary.org