World Polio Day 2026: Why the virus still survives in two countries? EXPLAINED

World Polio Day is commemorated annually on October 24 to raise awareness about the critical importance of vaccination in eliminating poliomyelitis (polio). Observance of this day also honours the contributions of frontline workers, volunteers, and parents in eliminating the devastating disease. The theme for World Polio Day 2026 is "One Day. One Focus: Ending Polio."

Polio is a viral infection that can cause permanent paralysis. In severe cases, it causes death. Before a person is affected by the polio virus, the vaccine is the only defence against poliomyelitis because there is no cure for polio once it affects a person. Therefore, vaccination is the only method to protect children and completely eradicate the disease.

In order to safeguard and protect a large population from the deadly virus, the World Health Organisation and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have worked together globally to launch vaccination drives before the virus attacks. The move has eliminated polio in over 125 other countries since 1988. India has also remained free of wild poliovirus cases since 2011.

Why are two countries still endemic to polio?

However, two countries remain in the world where Wild poliovirus (specifically wild poliovirus type 1) is still endemic: Afghanistan and Pakistan. The disease has never been fully eliminated there despite global efforts. Surprisingly, Afghanistan recorded the highest number of cases globally in 2026, with most cases concentrated in eastern and southern provinces along the Pakistan border, where frequent cross-border movement complicates control efforts.

A major reason polio persists is weak or interrupted vaccination coverage. In Afghanistan, the Taliban has long hindered eradication efforts, attacking health workers, especially in the south, which disrupted the supply chain and access to vaccine. Conflict also prohibits access to certain regions, and distrust toward vaccination campaigns has made it difficult to reach every child consistently.

In Pakistan, transmission is now largely confined to specific hotspots. Virus transmission is now largely restricted to southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, an area that shares porous borders with Afghanistan, allowing the virus to keep circulating between the two countries.

Experts stress that the two nations function as a single epidemiological block. Cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan is considered vital to interrupting transmission together, since cross-border population movement means progress in one country can be undone by continued spread in the other.

Despite the challenges, both countries have seen declining case numbers in 2026 compared to 2025, with health officials citing a “historic opportunity” to finally interrupt transmission through sustained immunisation drives, improved surveillance, and renewed government focus on remaining hotspots.