World Polio Day 2025 – explore articles from PLOS Global Public Health

Every World Polio Day (observed on October 24) is a time to pause and reflect on one of the greatest public-health achievements of our era — and on the work that still remains. Since the launch of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988, the annual number of cases of wild poliovirus has dropped by more than 99%. Today, wild poliovirus remains endemic in only two countries — Afghanistan and Pakistan — yet vigilance is far from over. In 2024 alone, 99 confirmed wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases were reported, chiefly in those two countries. Growing vaccine hesitancy in countries around the world – including countries that have been polio for decades – threatens this progress. The fact that 20 million people today are able to walk who would otherwise have been paralyzed is testament to the power of sustained global action — and a reminder that eradication remains an urgent and realistic goal.

With so much progress achieved, World Polio Day is more than just a commemoration; it’s a call to maintain momentum. Vaccination programs must continue, surveillance systems must be strengthened, and health equity must remain central — especially in places where conflict, displacement, or vaccine hesitancy threaten gains. In light of this ongoing challenge, PLOS Global Public Health invites you to explore a some of our recently published articles from diverse contexts. From the latest vaccine-derived poliovirus epidemiology, to lessons from successful outbreak responses, to policy analysis of financing and immunization systems in fragile settings, we invite you to explore these articles and deepen your understanding of what it takes to finish the job and deliver a polio-free world.

Reviews:

Characterization of environmental and clinical surveillance inputs to support prospective integrated modeling of the polio endgame, by Kamran Badizadegan and Kimberly M. Thompson

Opinions:

One billion doses and WHO prequalification of nOPV2: Implications for the global polio situation and beyond, by Ananda S. Bandyopadhyay, Laura V. Cooper, Simona Zipursky

Conflicts in Gaza and around the world create a perfect storm for infectious disease outbreaks, by John E. Kearney, Natalie Thiel, Arian El-Taher, Sabreen Akhter, David A. Townes, Indi Trehan, Paul S. Pottinger

Research articles:

Non-detection of emerging and re-emerging pathogens in wastewater surveillance to confirm absence of transmission risk: A case study of polio in New York, by David A. Larsen, Dustin Hill, Yifan Zhu, Mohammed Alazawi, Dana Chatila, Christopher Dunham, Catherine Faruolo, Brandon Ferro, Alejandro Godinez, Brianna Hanson, Tabassum Insaf, Dan Lang, Dana Neigel, Milagros Neyra, Nicole Pulido, Max Wilder, Nan Yang, Brittany Kmush, Hyatt Green

Moral foundations messaging to improve vaccine attitudes: An online randomized experiment from Argentina, by Maike Winters, Sarah Christie, Hannah Melchinger, Nahuel Arias, Luciana Lirman, Angus Thomson, Saad B. Omer

Navigating vaccination choices: The intersecting dynamics of institutional trust, belonging and message perception among Congolese migrants in London, UK (a reflexive thematic analysis), by Alison F. Crawshaw, Tushna Vandrevala, Felicity Knights, Anna Deal, Laura Muzinga Lutumba, Sarah Nkembi, Lusau Mimi Kitoko, Caroline Hickey, Alice S. Forster, Sally Hargreaves

How to eradicate polio in Pakistan: Insights from community health workers, by Marium A. Sultan, Svea Closser, Arman Majidulla, Saeed Ahmed, Farah Naz, Sadaf Nayyab, Ayesha Zaman, Muhammad Shafique, Ali Sohail

PLOS Global Public Health publishes research from all regions of the world. If you have a paper that addresses urgent issues and advances health equity, we’d like to hear from you. Submit your research today!