World Polio Eradication Day, celebrated on October 24th and organized under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO), aims to raise awareness about the existence and dangers of this disease, often thought to be eradicated. In France and globally, vaccination campaigns have drastically reduced the epidemics that caused irreversible paralysis in hundreds of thousands of children between the 1940s and 1960s.
However, polio has only been progressively eradicated across different continents. It remains endemic in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Furthermore, conflicts and major crises lead to resurgences, such as in Gaza, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria, or the Balkans. In 2022, poliovirus was detected in wastewater in London and the United States, underscoring the need for constant vigilance.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative, launched in 1988, emphasizes that vaccination is the only way to achieve total eradication. Facing the resurgence of risks, the WHO launched a 2022-2026 strategy, funded with $2.54 billion by 115 states.
The association POLIO-FRANCE highlights the crucial importance of vaccination. Its members, born before vaccines were developed or unable to be vaccinated due to ineffective public health policies, now live with sequelae. In France, where the vaccine has been available since 1958, vaccination only became mandatory in 1964. Approximately 50,000 people still live with polio sequelae in the country, some of whom face post-polio syndrome.
These individuals, referred to as polio "survivors," have often built independent lives despite their disabilities, at a time when support policies were nascent. Managing the long-term consequences of polio has become difficult, as the pathology is no longer taught in medical or physiotherapy schools, being considered eradicated in France.
In response, people living with polio sequelae have created "polio networks," relying on historical centers like the Garches Hospital, with the support of rehabilitation medicine physicians. The association POLIO-FRANCE-GLIP offers a network for mutual aid and information on medical, paramedical aspects, and disability rights.
Polio continues to cause devastation worldwide, with approximately 700,000 people affected in Europe, 300,000 in the United States, and nearly 20 million globally. Their specific needs must be considered to ensure the best possible quality of life and respect for their rights, which is the primary objective of POLIO-FRANCE.
