February 16, 2025
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Health News

Polio Cases Spike in Conflict Zones as Global Immunization Rates Decline: UNICEF Warns on World Polio Day

By

Muhammad Jamil Abubakar

 

The United Nation Children’s Fund, UNICEF has released a new analysis revealing that of the 541 children affected by polio globally in 2023, 85 percent live in 31 countries marked by conflict, instability, and humanitarian crises.

 

The analysis shows that polio cases in these settings have more than doubled over the past five years, while routine childhood immunization rates have fallen from 75 percent to 70 percent—far below the 95 percent threshold required for community immunity.

 

The data underscores a critical warning: polio, a life-threatening disease, continues to thrive in areas where healthcare delivery is severely hampered by conflict, natural disasters, and other destabilizing factors.

 

The UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell emphasized the dire situation, stating, “In conflict, children face more than bombs and bullets; they are at risk of deadly diseases that should no longer exist.”

 

She noted the breakdown of healthcare systems, destruction of infrastructure, and mass displacement as key factors driving a resurgence of preventable diseases like polio.

 

The resurgence is particularly evident in conflict-affected regions, with 15 out of 21 countries battling polio outbreaks, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen. A global decline in childhood immunization has contributed to these outbreaks, even in nations that had been polio-free for decades.

 

UNICEF and its partners have intensified emergency vaccination efforts in response to the recent upsurge.

 

In Gaza, a September vaccination campaign reached nearly 600,000 children under the age of 10, following the reappearance of polio in the region after a 25-year absence. However, renewed violence and mass displacement have delayed efforts in northern Gaza.

 

In Sudan, the impact of conflict has been equally devastating, with national childhood vaccination coverage plummeting from 85 percent before the war to 53 percent in 2023. In active conflict zones, the coverage has dropped further to just 30 percent. UNICEF has responded with two emergency polio vaccination campaigns, reaching 2.9 million children under five years old.

 

UNICEF is urging governments, partners, and donors to take decisive actions to stop polio transmission in conflict-affected and vulnerable countries.

 

The organization, which delivers over 1 billion doses of polio vaccines annually, called for prioritizing immunization efforts, particularly in regions with low coverage in Africa and Asia. It also emphasized the need to strengthen healthcare systems, ensure the safety of humanitarian workers delivering vaccines, and secure humanitarian pauses to allow safe vaccination campaigns.

 

UNICEF highlighted the importance of supporting the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to quickly respond to outbreaks and prevent further cases.

 

Additionally, the organization is calling on political leaders to prioritize polio eradication, promote innovative solutions, and coordinate efforts to enhance immunization quality.

 

“The spread of polio not only puts children in affected countries at immediate risk but also poses a growing threat to neighboring regions,” said Russell.

 

“The final push is the hardest, but now is the time to act. We cannot rest until every child, in every corner of the world, is safe from polio once and for all.”

 

As polio cases continue to rise in some of the world’s most challenging environments, UNICEF’s analysis serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for global action to protect the most vulnerable children from this preventable disease.

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