Since its creation in 1988, the work of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative has contributed to the eradication of polio. … [+]
Strictly speaking, the poliovirus will not be on the ballot for the upcoming US election on November 5, because viruses are not human and cannot run for political office. But voting in these elections can still have a huge impact on what happens to the poliovirus. After all, the U.S. government has played a key role in supporting the Global Polio Eradication Initiative since its inception in 1988. And the world is moving ever closer to eradicating this disease that once caused so much misery and suffering and left hundreds of lives behind. In the early 20th century, thousands of children suffered from paralysis each year. What America’s political leaders choose over the next four years could make the difference between eradicating polio, staying with it, or making a comeback in some form.
“The importance of the United States cannot be overstated,” emphasized Mike McGovern, president of Rotary International, who has played a key role in launching and leading the GPEI. “The U.S. government is providing approximately $240 million in funding, including funds going to the CDC, funding positions around the world and in the field to support vaccine delivery. Color gamut.”
That’s why it was no surprise that the words “American election” came up during the election. “Breakfast Conversation: A Healthier Future Through Equitable Immunization” on September 25th. This was a side event to the 79th United Nations General Assembly and was attended by representatives from many of the major organizations that make up the GPEI. It was a discussion about what would happen next with the big “e” word for polio eradication efforts, and another “e” word was brought up: the U.S. election. This latter “e” word appears not to have been the case. But it’s probably because there’s still so much uncertainty about what’s going to happen to the U.S. government.
On the other hand, efforts to eradicate polio have historically enjoyed support across America’s two major political parties. “Not a single member of Congress opposed polio funding at the subcommittee level,” McGovern recalled. “The latest continuing resolution provides equal funding,” he continued, adding, “Contrary to the negative things you hear about the political process in Washington, the polio funding process has been good.” said. “Funding support dates back to the Clinton administration, and funding remained flat under the previous Trump administration,” McGovern added.
The GPEI can also point to progress since it was established in 1988 after the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution to eradicate polio worldwide. The GPEI is made up of various national governments, the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), UNICEF, the Gates Foundation, and the Gavi Vaccine Alliance, which coordinates mass vaccination campaigns. There is. , improved hygiene programs and health infrastructure to help control and eliminate the virus in many countries.
Over the GPEI’s 35-year history, the number of wild poliovirus cases has decreased by more than 99%, from an estimated 350,000 cases in more than 125 endemic countries to just 12 reported cases in 2023. In fact, two strains of wild poliovirus (types 2 and 3) were considered eradicated in 1999 and 2020, respectively. As a result, eradication efforts will focus on type 1, the last remaining wild strain, currently limited to two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the emerging vaccine-derived poliovirus strain. It is now possible to do. This has made the “e” word feel within reach for many people.
But on the other hand, two political trends threaten to undo the progress made so far if they emerge in U.S. government decision-making after the next election. One is that the United States is reducing its involvement in, and withdrawing from, international cooperation in general. Stories like this don’t necessarily focus on polio eradication efforts, but they can promote the idea that what’s happening in other parts of the world doesn’t affect the United States. Of course, this is not the case, especially when it comes to polio and other diseases. By the way, it’s an infection.
Dr. Peter L. Salk, president of the Jonas Salk Legacy Foundation and son of Dr. Jonas Salk, who developed one of the first successful polio vaccines, has shown how the virus does not respect political boundaries. emphasized. Possibility of spreading to other locations. The next pandemic is just a plane ride away. ” Salk continued. “It’s important to recognize value and we need to be considerate of people everywhere. We’re all in this together as humans and we shouldn’t just point the arrow at ourselves.”
A second troubling political trend is that anti-science and anti-vaccine movements and political leaders are fueling these movements and amplifying their messages. “Most Americans support vaccination,” McGovern said. “You hear about anti-vaxxers, but you don’t hear about pro-vaccination people.”
These days, many people don’t know what the situation was really like before the discovery and introduction of the polio vaccine in the 1950s and 1960s. “Fear of polio was widespread,” Salk said. “A huge number of people contributed to the polio vaccination effort. There was absolute jubilation when the vaccine arrived. It was a victory for the people.” But now the vaccine is in many ways self-sustaining. They are victims of success. For example, the last known case of wild poliovirus in the United States was in 1979, as large-scale polio vaccination eradicated poliovirus from the United States, and the World Health Organization’s Region of the Americas announced that poliovirus has been removed from the Americas. It was in 1994 that they declared it gone. This means fewer and fewer people in the United States will know firsthand and personally how serious polio can be, and more people may take vaccination for granted.
“The guard is down,” Salk warned. “People aren’t as worried about keeping vaccination rates high,” McGovern said, pointing to a decline in vaccination rates in Rockland County, New York, in 2022. There, an unvaccinated young man was diagnosed with polio, and Sabin-like poliovirus type 2 was detected in the wastewater. McGovern also noted that this is not just a U.S. problem, saying, “Vaccination rates are declining in many countries.”
With October 24th being World Polio Day and 12 days left until the US election, it’s important to remember that what happens in the US doesn’t necessarily stay in the US. Similarly, what happens with poliovirus in other countries does not necessarily stay in the United States. those countries. “We need to better understand that we are all part of a larger community of humanity,” Salk said. “We need a more inclusive understanding and consideration of communities around the world.”
