Polio today 

Polio, once a global health crisis, has seen a 99% decline in cases since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988. From an estimated 350,000 cases across more than 125 countries, wild poliovirus now remains endemic in only two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan. However, outbreaks caused by circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV)—a rare strain that can emerge in under-immunized populations when the weakened virus mutates and regains virulence—continue to challenge eradication efforts. In recent years, cVDPV cases have been reported in over 20 countries across Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, highlighting gaps in immunization coverage and surveillance. For countries like Japan, which have been polio-free for decades, the risk lies in international travel and the potential importation of the virus into communities with declining vaccine uptake. Given its own successful history of eliminating polio, Japan now has a critical opportunity to contribute to this final push toward global eradication by supporting surveillance, vaccination, and international cooperation efforts.