What CDC is Doing in Global Polio Vaccination

Key points

CDC plays a critical role in eradicating polio by providing scientific leadership and guidance at the global, regional, and country levels to implement evidence-based strategies to stop polio worldwide. CDC engages with partners, countries, and communities to deliver vaccines, detect cases, and respond to outbreaks quickly.

A young girl sitting at a school desk smiles while she holds up her pinky finger, which has been marked to show she received a polio vaccine.

Partnering within the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI)

CDC has been a core partner of GPEI since it started in 1988.‎

Since then, global polio cases have decreased by more than 99%. As a result, an estimated 20 million people who would have been paralyzed by the disease are walking today, and more than 1.5 million lives have been saved.

In addition to CDC, GPEI's core partners include:

See Also: Global Polio Eradication Initiative

Engaging with countries

A young girl sitting at a school desk smiles while she holds up her pinky finger, which has been marked to show she received a polio vaccine.
A 7-year-old girl in Indonesia shows her marked finger after receiving the polio vaccine during a polio vaccination campaign at her school. ©UNICEF/U.S. CDC/UN0760335/Ifansasti

Governments and health workers are at the frontline of the fight to end polio.
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CDC experts support their work by providing technical assistance to help prevent polio, find cases of polio when they occur, and respond to outbreaks.

CDC's technical assistance helps countries:

  • Plan and conduct vaccination campaigns
  • Collect, analyze, and use data
  • Respond to outbreaks
  • Look for polio cases (known as surveillance)
  • Overcome barriers to polio eradication
  • Innovate with new approaches
Keep Reading: Stopping an Outbreak in Its Tracks: Polio Response in Mozambique

Partnering with communities

A strong workforce is key to controlling the spread of polio.‎

CDC helps to ensure trained public health professionals are ready to respond.

CDC supports communities by:

  • Ensuring that vaccines reach all who need them
  • Raising awareness of polio vaccination campaigns
  • Training teams to conduct polio vaccination campaigns
  • Strengthening surveillance to detect and address any gaps in vaccination
Keep Reading: STOP Program

Detecting cases and outbreaks

A man wearing a white coat, goggles, and gloves uses a pipette to transfer liquid into a test tube.
A CDC scientist conducts laboratory testing for different types of polio. Lab tests can determine if a sample contains poliovirus and, if so, which type of poliovirus is present.

CDC has provided polio lab support since GPEI began.‎

Since 1984 (before GPEI started), the CDC Polio Laboratory has served as a WHO Global Specialized Reference Laboratory. CDC has helped WHO build the Global Polio Laboratory Network (GPLN), a system of more than 140 laboratories worldwide.

CDC researchers and epidemiologists help collect, analyze, and interpret data from vaccination and disease detection activities. This helps identify the source of the virus and how it’s spreading. From there, the experts guide program planning and policy development.

CDC’s laboratory experts:

  • Provide critical diagnostic services
  • Study the genetic makeup of polioviruses
  • Develop new techniques and products that help to advance the global effort to eradicate polio

Resources

Polio eradication strategy‎

GPEI's Polio Eradication Strategy 2022-2026 describes key activities partners should take to achieve the goal of ending polio.
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