The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has announced it needs more funds and additional time to achieve its long-standing goal of wiping out polio, pushing back its target dates by three years. The coalition now aims to officially declare an end to the wild form of the virus by 2027 and the vaccine-derived variant by 2029, extending the original deadline of 2026 for both.
Despite significant progress in reducing polio cases since mass vaccination efforts began in 1988, complete eradication has proven more challenging than expected. Chris Elias, chair of GPEI’s polio oversight board and head of global development at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, acknowledged the difficulty of achieving the final milestone, but expressed confidence that it can still be accomplished with the right tools and continued effort.
Currently, wild polio remains endemic only in Pakistan and Afghanistan, which have reported 54 cases this year. Meanwhile, vaccine-derived strains have been more widespread, with 179 cases reported in harder-to-reach regions.
To address these challenges, the GPEI now requires $6.9 billion in funding, up from the $4.8 billion previously estimated. While $4.5 billion has already been pledged, an additional $2.4 billion is needed to support new strategies, including localized approaches and efforts to combat misinformation in regions where routine immunization is difficult.
Elias remains optimistic, emphasizing the initiative’s past successes. “We have succeeded in interrupting polio virus transmission everywhere. We just haven’t succeeded everywhere at the same time,” he said, comparing the effort to a game of “whack-a-mole.”