WASHINGTON, United States (CMC) — The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is observing World Polio Day on Friday, urging the Americas, including the Caribbean, to take decisive action to keep the region polio-free.

PAHO said that it is celebrating over three decades without wild poliovirus cases in the Americas and continues to highlight the importance of strengthening vaccination coverage to prevent a possible resurgence of this preventable disease.

“A few decades ago, parents lived in fear for their children’s health, sudden fever, pain, muscle weakness, and sometimes permanent paralysis. That was polio, an incurable disease that could cause lifelong disability or even death,” said Dr Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO director. “Thanks to vaccines and a tremendous collective effort, it has now been 31 years since wild poliovirus last circulated in our region. This is an extraordinary public health achievement.”

PAHO said polio affected thousands of children across the Americas until the early 1990s. In 1975, nearly 6,000 cases were reported, and the last case of wild poliovirus was detected in Peru in 1991. This milestone led to the certification of the Americas as the first region in the world to be declared polio-free in 1994.

However, PAHO said that maintaining this status requires renewed commitment and sustained action.

It noted that last year, only 83 per cent of children in the Americas received the third dose of the polio vaccine, well below the 95 per cent coverage recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to ensure herd immunity.

It said poliomyelitis is a viral disease that attacks the nervous system and can cause permanent paralysis, mainly in children under five years of age. Most cases are asymptomatic, but one in every 200 infections results in paralysis, and between five and 10 per cent of those affected may die due to respiratory paralysis.

PAHO said globally, polio cases have decreased by more than 99 per cent since 1988, when an estimated 350,000 cases occurred annually in more than 125 countries. It said currently, only two countries continue to have endemic circulation of wild poliovirus.

PAHO said risks remain in areas with low vaccination coverage, where vaccine-derived polioviruses can mutate and spread in unvaccinated communities, leading to outbreaks similar to those caused by wild virus. Robust epidemiological surveillance and the strategic use of a variety of vaccine formulations mitigate this risk while maintaining focus on the global eradication goal.

“Protecting, strengthening, and following immunisation programme recommendations is an act of love, solidarity, and shared responsibility among governments, health workers, communities, and each of us,” Dr Barbosa said.

PAHO said it is urging all sectors and social actors to take decisive action to keep the Americas polio-free and that parents, caregivers and guardians should check children’s vaccination records and visit health services if in doubt.

It is also calling on health workers and community leaders to provide clear information, counter misinformation and continue being trusted sources in their communities and that governments and decision-makers should ensure sufficient resources to strengthen national immunisation programmes and maintain active surveillance.

“On World Polio Day, PAHO reaffirms its commitment to the global eradication of this disease and to protecting future generations from preventable health threats.”